>>> NEW THIS MORNING, POPE FRANCIS IN THE EARLY MORNING
HOURS HERE IN THE U.S. ISSUING
AN EXTENSIVE LETTER, CONDEMNING
THE ABUSE DESCRIBED IN A
SCATHING REPORT.
SCATHING REPORT. A GRAND JURY REPORT OF MORE THAN
300 PENNSYLVANIA PRIESTS,
ACCUSED OF ABUSING MORE THAN
1,000 CHILD VICTIMS.
AND THE LENGTH ROMAN CATHOLIC
CHURCH LEADERS WENT TO COVER UP
THOSE CRIMES.
THOSE CRIMES. POPE FRANCIS SAYS, QUOTE, WITH
SHAME AND REPENTANCE, WE
ACKNOWLEDGE AS AN ECCLESIAL
COMMUNITY, IN OTHER WORDS, THE
LEADERSHIP, WE WERE NOT WHERE WE
SHOULD HAVE BEEN, THAT WE DID
NOT ACT IN A TIMELY MANNER,
REALIZING THE MAGNITUDE AND
GRAVITY OF THE DAMAGE DONE TO SO
MANY LIVES.
MANY LIVES. WE SHOWED NO CARE FOR THE LITTLE
ONES.
ONES. WE ABANDONED THEM.
I WANT TO BRING IN SHAWN
DOHERTY, SURVIVOR OF SEXUAL
ABUSE BY A PRIEST IN
PENNSYLVANIA.
PENNSYLVANIA. YOU SAT NEXT TO THE
ATTORNEY-GENERAL DURING THE
PRESS CONFERENCE, WHICH WAS
EYE-OPENER TO SO MANY PEOPLE.
WHAT DID YOU THINK OF THE POPE’S
LETTER TODAY?
LETTER TODAY? >> A LOT WAS A REPEAT OF THE
ATTORNEY-GENERAL’S PRESS
ATTORNEY-GENERAL’S PRESS CONFERENCE.
CONFERENCE. WE ADMITTED TO WHAT WE ALREADY
KNOW.
KNOW. THE REST OF IT I’VE HEARD
BEFORE.
BEFORE. ZERO TOLERANCE, WE HEARD THAT
AFTER BOSTON.
AFTER BOSTON. WHAT IS ZERO TOLERANCE?
WHAT WE DIDN’T HEAR IS, I’M
SORRY.
SORRY. I AM FROM THIS POINT FORWARD
PLEADING WITH THE PENNSYLVANIA
SENATE LEADERSHIP TO ENACT THE
RECOMMENDATIONS OF THE GRAND
JURY, AND LISTEN TO THESE
VICTIMS AND HELP THESE VICTIMS.
>> I DON’T WANT TO SAY THE
DEFENDERS OF THE POPE, BUT THERE
ARE PEOPLE WHO WOULD SAY, HE IS
THE POPE OF A BILLION CATHOLICS.
AS EGREGIOUS AND HORRIFYING AS
WHAT HAPPENED IN PENNSYLVANIA,
THIS OBVIOUSLY IS A WIDER
PROBLEM.
PROBLEM. HE’S GOING TO BE GOING, FOR
EXAMPLE, TO IRELAND, WHERE THEY
HAVE HAD THEIR OWN SEXUAL ABUSE
SCANDAL.
SCANDAL. IT’S -- HE REALLY HAS TO ADDRESS
THIS AS THE LEADER OF ALL OF
THOSE PEOPLE.
THOSE PEOPLE. >> THEY HAVE BEEN ADDRESSING
THIS FOR HOW MANY YEARS?
I MEAN, WE GET IT.
YOU HAVE A SEX ABUSE PROBLEM IN
THE CATHOLIC CHURCH.
WE GET IT.
BEEN THERE.
BEEN THERE. DONE THAT.
DONE THAT. WHAT ARE YOU DOING TO FIX IT?
WE’VE HEARD, YOU KNOW, ALL THESE
LITTLE ONES.
LITTLE ONES. >> WHAT WOULD YOU LIKE TO SEE
HIM DO?
HIM DO? WHAT COULD -- YOU KNOW, THERE’S
A LOT OF CONVERSATION ABOUT
EXTENDING THE STATUTE OF
LIMITATIONS.
LIMITATIONS. WHETHER OR NOT, YOU KNOW,
LEADERS IN THE CHURCH, IN
ADDITION TO THE ABUSERS, SHOULD
BE HELD INTO LEGAL ACCOUNT WHERE
THEY CAN BE.
THOSE ARE LEGAL QUESTIONS.
IN TERMS OF THE CHURCH, WHAT
HAVE THEY NOT DONE THAT’S CLEAR
TO YOU AND OTHER VICTIMS THAT
HAS TO BE DONE?
>> TELL THE TRUTH.
ONCE AND FOR ALL.
ON EVERYTHING.
ON EVERYTHING. FULL MEA CULPA.
THEY HAVE THE RECORDS ACROSS THE
STATE.
STATE. THEY’RE SECRET ARCHIVES.
MAKE THEM UN-SECRET.
>> PUBLICIZE THEM AND HAND THEM
OVER TO THE APPROPRIATE
AUTHORITIES.
AUTHORITIES. >> LET’S SEE IT.
>> POPE FRANCIS ADDED THIS, I’M
CONSCIOUS OF THE EFFORT AND WORK
BEING CARRIED OUT IN VARIOUS
PARTS OF THE WORLD TO COME UP
WITH THE NECESSARY MEANS TO
ENSURE THE SAFETY AND PROTECTION
OF THE INTEGRITY OF CHILDREN AND
THE VULNERABLE ADULTS, AS WELL
AS IMPLEMENTING ZERO TOLERANCE
AND WAYS OF MAKING ALL THOSE WHO
PERPETRATE OR COVER UP THESE
CRIMES ACCOUNTABLE.
CRIMES ACCOUNTABLE. OUTSIDE OF, AGAIN, THE LEGAL
SYSTEM, AND WE HAVE SEEN SOME OF
THESE PRIESTS GO TO JAIL, AND WE
ALSO KNOW SOME OF THEM NAILMED I
THE REPORT ARE ELSEWHERE NOW,
AND THEIR PARISHIONERS WERE
STUNNED TO SEE THEIR NAMES IN
THE REPORT, WHAT DOES THE CHURCH
NEED TO DO WHEN IT FINDS THEY
HAVE A PRIEST WHO IS ABUSING
CHILDREN?
CHILDREN? >> THEY NEED TO CALL THE POLICE.
HE COMMITTED A CRIME.
HE RAPED A CHILD.
>> DO YOU FEEL IT IS NOT BEING
DONE HERE?
DONE HERE? >> ABSOLUTELY NOT.
IF YOU STEAL MONEY AS A PRIEST
FROM A CHURCH, YOU GO TO JAIL.
THEY PROSECUTE YOU TO THE
FULLEST EXTENT OF THE LAW.
IF YOU RAPE A CHILD, THEY MOVE
YOU TO ANOTHER PARISH, TO A NEW
FLOCK OF UNSUSPECTING CHILDREN
AND FAMILIES THAT HAVE BEEN
GROOMED TO RECEIVE IT.
>> WHAT HAS THIS MEANT, THIS
REPORT, TO THE FOLKS WHO YOU
KNOW?
KNOW? I KNOW YOU KNOW MANY OF THEM,
WHO HAVE KEPT THIS SO QUIET FOR
SO LONG AND HAVE HAD TO LIVE
WITH WHAT THIS HAS DONE TO THEIR
LIVES.
LIVES. >> FIRST, MANY WOULD ARGUE THEY
DIDN’T KEEP IT QUIET.
THEY’VE BEEN TALKING ABOUT THIS
FOR DECADES.
FOR DECADES. YOU KNOW, I THINK THEY WOULD SAY
THAT IT IS REALLY NICE TO
FINALLY HAVE PEOPLE LISTENING TO
IT AT THE SCALE THAT EVERYBODY
IS.
IS. THIS HAS BEEN DISCUSSED DECADE
AFTER DECADE AFTER DECADE.
IT IS REALLY, WHAT IS THE
LEADERSHIP OF THE ROMAN CATHOLIC
CHURCH AND ITS PARISHIONERS