>>> WELCOME BACK TO "VELSHI & RUHLE."
RUHLE." POPE FRANCIS IS CALLING FOR A
SUMMIT AT THE VATICAN TO MEET
WITH ARCHBISHOPS FROM AROUND THE
WORLD TO FOCUS SPECIFICALLY ON
PREVENTING SEX ABUSE BY CLERGY
AND PROTECTING CHILDREN.
THE MEETING IS BELIEVED TO BE
THE FIRST OF ITS KIND BUT IT’S
NOT HAPPENING UNTIL LATE
FEBRUARY.
FEBRUARY. TOP U.S. CHURCH LEADERSHIP ARE
HEADING TO THE VATICAN TOMORROW
TO MEET WITH POPE FRANCIS,
INCLUDING THE ARCHBISHOP OF
WASHINGTON, D.C., CARDINAL
DONALD WUERL.
DONALD WUERL. HE FORM EARLY WAS THE ARCHBISHOP
OF PITTSBURGH AND IS PLANNING TO
DISCUSS HIS POSSIBLE RESIGNATION
WITH FRANCIS IN THE FACE OF
REVELATIONS THAT HE MISMANAGED
PAST CLERICAL ABUSE.
THAT MAKES IT SOUND LIKE IT WAS
JUST A BAD HABIT, AND WE BOTH
KNOW IT’S NOT.
JOINING ME NOW MITCHELL
GARABEDIAN, AN ATTORNEY
REPRESENTING 50 VICTIMS IN THE
PENNSYLVANIA DIOCESE INCLUDING
THE ARCHDIOCESE OF PITTSBURGH.
MICHAEL, LET’S START WITH THIS
THE FEBRUARY SUMMIT, THE
ASSOCIATED PRESS SAYS THAT THIS,
QUOTE, SIGNALS A REALIZATION AT
THE HIGHEST LEVELS OF THE CHURCH
THAT CLERGY SEX ABUSE IS A
GLOBAL PROBLEM AND NOT
RESTRICTED TO THE ANGLO SAXON
WORLD.
WORLD. WHEN I READ THAT, WE’RE NOT
TALKING ABOUT NAIL BITING OR
STAYING UP TOO LATE.
TO SAY WE’RE GOING TO HAVE A
SUMMIT, YEP, THAT’S A BIG DEAL
BUT WHAT DOES IT SIGNAL TO YOU
THAT THEY’RE NOT HAVING IT UNTIL
FEBRUARY?
FEBRUARY? WHAT COULD THE CATHOLIC CHURCH
POSSIBLY BE FOCUS ONDED ON BETWE
NOW AND THEN THAT’S MORE
IMPORTANT?
IMPORTANT? >> WHAT THE CATHOLIC CHURCH IS
FOCUSED ON IS REPOLISHING THEIR
IMAGE.
IMAGE. THEY’RE TRYING TO BUILD --
THEY’RE WORKING WITH THE OPTICS
HERE.
HERE. THEY DON’T CARE ABOUT
INVESTIGATIONS TO REVEAL THE
TRUTH OF PREVENTING CLERGY
SEXUAL ABUSE.
SEXUAL ABUSE. BETWEEN NOW AND THE MEETING IN
FEBRUARY, THESE LEADERS WILL
TALK AMONGST THEMSELVES TO TRY
TO DETERMINE HOW CAN WE REFOCUS
THE -- HOW CAN WE POLISH THE
IMAGE OF THE CATHOLIC CHURCH
BECAUSE WE’RE TAKING AN AWFUL
HIT HERE.
HIT HERE. RIGHT NOW THEY’RE IN PANIC MODE.
HOW MANY OF THESE LEADERS
PROBABLY PARTICIPATED IN THE
COVER-UP OVER THE PAST DECADES
IF THEY WEREN’T ACTUAL ABUSERS?
I MEAN THIS IS VERY INSINCERE.
IT LACKS CREDIBILITY, AND IT’S A
SLAP IN THE FACE TO CHILDREN TO
HAVE SUCH A MEETING NOT ONLY IN
SIX MONTHS BUT TO HAVE IT AT
ALL.
ALL. WHY HASN’T THE CATHOLIC CHURCH,
WHICH HAS A LONG HISTORY OF
COVERING UP THE CRIMINALITY OF
SEXUAL ABUSE AND ALLOWS ING
SEXUAL ABUSE HAVE A PLAN IN
PLACE, NOT TALK, NOT WORDS, NOT
SPEECHES, BUT A PLAN IN PLACE
RIGHT NOW TO ALLOW AN
INVESTIGATION TO GO FORWARD SO
THAT PREVENTION CAN HAVE A
MEANINGFUL -- PREVENTION CAN BE
MEANINGFULLY ACCOMPLISHED.
MEANINGFULLY ACCOMPLISHED. IT’S JUST SO SMOKE AND MIRRORS
BY THE CATHOLIC CHURCH.
>> SWIFT ACTION, A FULL
INVESTIGATION WITH TRANSPARENCY
IS THE ONLY ROUTE THAT THE
CATHOLIC CHURCH COULD POSSIBLY
TAKE TO GET OUT OF THIS, BUT TO
YOUR POINT, THEY’RE NOT, AND I
WANT TO TALK ABOUT ARCHBISHOP
BECAUSE YOU’RE REPRESENTING 50
VICTIMS OF SEX ABUSE IN THE
PENNSYLVANIA CATHOLIC DIOCESE.
ONE OF THOSE CASES YOU SETTLED
WITH THE PITTSBURGH DIOCESE IN
2016 FOR A WHOLE LOT OF MONEY.
IT INVOLVED AN ABUSIVE PRIEST
WHO SERVED IN ALLEGHANY COUNTY
FROM ’85 TO ’88.
TALK TO US ABOUT WHERE HE WAS
THEN AND WHERE HE WAS IN THE
STATE OF PENNSYLVANIA DURING
THIS PERIOD OF TIME BECAUSE,
AGAIN, EVEN IF HE’S GOING TO THE
VATICAN TOMORROW TO MEET WITH
THE POPE, WE KNOW THAT CASES
HAVE BEEN SETTLED SEVERAL YEARS
AGO.
AGO. WE KNOW THAT THIS BIG SITUATION
CAME OUT SEVERAL MONTHS AGO, AND
THE POPE HAS DONE NOTHING.
ARCHBISHOP WEURL HAS BEEN IN
HIDING.
HIDING. HE’S BEEN IN PROTECTIVE MODE.
TRYING TO FIGURE OUT, LIKE THE
REST OF THE LEADERS IN THE
CATHOLIC CHURCH, HOW NOT TO LET
THE TRUTH OUT, HOW TO PREVENT
TRANSPARENCY BECAUSE THROUGH
TRANSPARENCY, VICTIMS CAN HEAL
AND THE WORLD WILL SEE THE
TRUTH.
TRUTH. I MEAN, IT’S AN ABSOLUTE INSULT
FOR POPE FRANCIS AND ALL THESE
OTHER LEADERS TO SAY WE NOW
REALIZE IT’S A GLOBAL PROBLEM.
IT’S BEEN A GLOBAL PROBLEM FOR
DECADES.
DECADES. FOR THE PAST FIVE YEARS, I’VE
BEEN LITIGATEING IN FEDERAL COUR
IN CONNECTICUT 50 CLAIMS WHERE
CHILDREN WERE ABUSED NOT BY A
PRIEST BUT BY A -- AT A JESUIT
RUN SCHOOL, A FAIRFIELD
UNIVERSITY RUN SCHOOL, AND I’VE
BEEN REPRESENTING THOSE CLIENTS,
AND WE’VE BEEN LITIGATING FOR
ABOUT FIVE YEARS WITH CO-COUNSEL
SIMMONS HANLEY AT MY SIDE, BUT
THE CATHOLIC CHURCH IS MAKING
BELIEVE THAT ALL OF A SUDDEN
THEY REALIZE THIS IS A GLOBAL
PROBLEM.
PROBLEM. TAKE AWAY THEIR ROBES.
TAKE AWAY THEIR RELIGION.
THEY’RE CRIMINALS.
THEY’RE CRIMINALS. THEY BELONG IN JAIL.
WHY ARE THEY OPPOSING THE
STATUTE OF LIMITATIONS AT EVERY
POSSIBLE STATE IN THE UNITED
STATES.
STATES. THEY’RE POURING TENS OF MILLIONS
OF DOLLARS INTO LOBBYING GROUPS
IN NEW YORK STATE AND MANY OTHER
STATES TO OPPOSE STATUTE OF
LIMITATIONS SO THAT THE TRUTH
CANNOT BE REVEALED, SO THAT
JUSTICE CANNOT BE OBTAINED, SO
THAT VICTIMS CANNOT HEAL.
IT’S AN ABSOLUTE INSULT BY THESE
CRIMINALS.
CRIMINALS. >> LET THAT SINK IN.
SEX CRIMES AGAINST CHILDREN FOR
DECADES.
DECADES. IMAGINE IF IT WAS JUST A GROUP
OF MEN IN A CLUB, IF THEY WERE
NOT CATHOLIC PRIESTS, IF THEY
DID NOT GET TO WEAR THE ROBES.
IMAGINE THE OUTRAGE THAT THERE
WOULD BE.
WOULD BE. IMAGINE THESE PEOPLE WILL BE
ARRESTED AND STILL ARCHBISHOP
WHERL STANDS THERE.