Better Life. >>> WELCOME BACK TO "VELSHI &
RUHLE."
RUHLE." I’M STEPHANIE RUHLE.
PLEASE TURN UP THE VOLUME.
POPE FRANCIS, HE JUST MET AT THE
VATICAN WITH AMERICAN CARDINALS
AND BISHOPS ABOUT THE SEX ABUSE
SCANDAL THAT IS ROCKING THE
CATHOLIC CHURCH HERE IN THE U.S.
THE MEETING COMES AMID OUTRAGE
AND FURY OF THE POPE’S HANDLING
OF SEX ABUSE CASES.
IT COMES JUST ONE DAY AFTER HE
ANNOUNCED HE’LL CONVENE A GLOBAL
MEETING OF BISHOPS NEXT FEBRUARY
TO DISCUSS THE CRISIS.
I KEEP WONDERING WHY WAIT UNTIL
FEBRUARY.
FEBRUARY. ARE THOSE BISHOPS WALKING THERE?
NBC NEWS CHIEF GLOBAL
CORRESPONDENT BILL NEELY HAS
MORE FROM THE VATICAN.
>> Reporter: BEHIND THE CLOSED
DOORS OF THE VATICAN, U.S.
DELEGATION LED BY CARDINAL
DANIEL DiNARDO OF TEXAS WANT
ANSWERS AND ACTION FROM POPE
FRANCIS OVER THE PENNSYLVANIA
REPORT DETAILING DECADES OF SEX
ABUSE BY PRIESTS AND OVER THIS
MAN, CARDINAL THEODORE McCARRICK
WHO ROSE AS ARC BISHOP OF
WASHINGTON.
WASHINGTON. THE POPE INSISTS ABUSE IS A
HORRENDOUS CRIME.
HORRENDOUS CRIME. >> BECAUSE OF THAT, POPE FRANCIS
REALIZES THAT THE VERY
CREDIBILITY OF THE CHURCH
DEPENDS ON ROOTING IT OUT.
>> U.S. BISHOPS SAY ALLEGATIONS
THAT THE POPE HELPED COVER UP
ABUSE DESERVE AN ANSWER.
>> I THINK MANY CATHOLICS, MANY
FAITHFUL IN THE U.S. AND BEYOND
ARE LOOKING FOR SOME ANSWERS.
IT DOESN’T NECESSARILY HAVE TO
COME FROM THE POPE’S MOUTH.
>> Reporter: AND SOON, CARDINAL
DONALD WUERL OF WASHINGTON WILL
MEET THE POPE TO DISCUSS HIS
RESIGNATION.
RESIGNATION. THE POPE NOW CALLING ON BISHOPS
AROUND THE WORLD TO MEET IN ROME
IN FEBRUARY FOR AN UNPRECEDENTED
SUMMIT ON SEXUAL ABUSE.
>> IT’S A QUESTION OF UTMOST
IMPORTANCE NOT ONLY IN COUNTRIES
WHERE IT’S EXPLODED BUT ALL
AROUND THE GLOBE.
>> Reporter: THE CRISIS IS
GLOBAL AND GROWING, A CHURCH
REPORT FROM GERMANY DETAILS
DECADES OF SEXUAL ABUSE BY MORE
THAN 1,600 PRIESTS OF THOUSANDS
OF CHILDREN AND A MASSIVE
COVER-UP.
COVER-UP. ONE OF THE POPE’S TOP AIDES SAID
THIS WEEK, IT ALL AMOUNTS TO THE
CHURCH’S 9/11.
CHURCH’S 9/11. >> THE CHURCH’S 9/11.
WE NEED TO REMEMBER THAT BILL
NEELY, PEOPLE ARE SAYING NEW
CRITICISM AROUND THE CATHOLIC
CHURCH.
CHURCH. IT’S A LOT MORE THAN CRITICISM.
CAN YOU SPEAK MORE ABOUT THIS
REPORT ALMOST 4,000 CHILDREN WHO
WERE ABUSED IN GERMANY BY
CATHOLIC PRIESTS OVER THE LAST
70 YEARS.
70 YEARS. I’M SICK EVEN SPEAKING ABOUT IT.
>> Reporter: IT IS STUNNING, AND
IT MIRRORS, OF COURSE,
STEPHANIE, THE ALLEGATIONS OF
THE CATHOLIC CHURCH’S BEHAVIOR
AND COVER-UP IN IRELAND, SO,
YES, THIS WAS NOT JUST ANY OLD
REPORT.
REPORT. THIS WAS A REPORT BY BISHOPS
THAT HAS BEEN LEAKED, AND THEY
HAVEN’T CONTESTED THE FINDINGS,
WHICH AS YOU SAY ARE
EXTRAORDINARY.
EXTRAORDINARY. 3,600 CASES OVER 70 YEARS, MORE
THAN HALF OF THOSE CASES OF
CHILDREN 13 AND UNDER, AND WE
ARE TALKING ABOUT RAPE INVOLVING
MORE THAN 1,600 PRIESTS.
AND THE AUTHORS OF THE REPORT
SAY BASICALLY THIS IS JUST THE
TIP OF THE ICEBERG.
THESE WERE THE CASES THAT THEY
COULD GET TO BECAUSE A LOT OF
THE FILES WERE DESTROYED, AND
THEY WERE IMPEDED IN THEIR
INVESTIGATION.
INVESTIGATION. SO CLEAR EVIDENCE, THEY SAY, OF
A COVER-UP.
A COVER-UP. SO JUST LIKE IRELAND, WE HAVE
ABUSE.
ABUSE. WE HAVE RAPE.
WE HAVE COVER-UP.
WE HAVE PRIESTS BEING MOVED FROM
GERMAN DIOCESE TO GERMAN DIOCESE
DIOCESE.
DIOCESE. JUST GOING BACK TO TODAY’S
MEETING, OTHER THINGS THAT WILL
MAKE PEOPLE UNHAPPY WERE THIS
WAS A MEETING BEHIND CLOSED
DOORS.
DOORS. IT LASTED JUST OVER AN HOUR.
NO STATEMENTS FROM THE VATICAN.
SILENCE ONCE AGAIN.
JUST AS IT WAS STARTING,
HOWEVER, THERE WAS NEWS THAT
ANOTHER SENIOR AMERICAN CLERIC,
THAT’S BISHOP MICHAEL BRANSFIELD
OF WEST VIRGINIA, THE POPE HAS
ACCEPTED HIS RESIGNATION, AND HE
HAS AUTHORIZED AN INVESTIGATION
INTO BISHOP BRANSFIELD’S
COMMENTS BECAUSE THERE ARE
SERIOUS ALLEGATIONS OF SEXUAL
MISCONDUCT AGAINST HIM.
SO YOU KNOW IF YOU EVER THINK
THIS CRISIS IS STOPPING, JUST
LOOK AT GERMANY.
JUST LOOK AT TODAY AND THE WEST
VIRGINIA ISSUE, THE CRISIS IS
DEEPENING, NOT JUST FOR THE U.S.
CHURCH BUT THE CHURCH GLOBALLY,
AND FOR THIS POPE WHO, LET’S BE
CLEAR, IS FACING NOT JUST CALLS
FOR HIS RESIGNATION BUT CLEARLY
THE GREATEST CHALLENGE TO HIS
PAPACY SO FAR.
>> GREATEST CHALLENGE, THINK
ABOUT THE CHALLENGE FOR THE
THOUSANDS OF CHILDREN WHO ARE
ABUSED BY THEIR PRIESTS.
THE PRIESTS WHO ARE SUPPOSED TO
BE THEIR MORAL AND SPIRITUAL
LEADERS.
LEADERS. IT IS TRULY DEVASTATING.
THIS STORY IS NOT GOING TO GO
AWAY.
AWAY. WE’RE NOT GOING TO STOP COVERING