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TONIGHT'S SUBJECT: A Catholic priest accused of molesting scores of young people. How much did the Church know, and what could have been done, or should have been done, to stop it? And what of other similar cases that are out there?

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A case of child molestation sort of has a ripple effect. Beyond the trauma inflicted on the victim, parents often feel guilt over not having noticed, or not having said something. Many times, the pedophile is a coach, a teacher, someone in authority. Sometimes a priest. And if that person is someone who is respected in the community, it is even more difficult for the victims. Often they are not believed. "How could you accuse that person, they couldn't possibly have done that?" is a common response.

A Catholic priest was convicted in Boston about ten days ago for assaulting a minor. He faces more criminal charges, including rape. There may well be almost a hundred lawsuits before this is over. And hanging over all this is one question, what did the Church know? Actually, more than one question. Why didn't the Church hierarchy do more to stop it? And why weren't the police brought into the cases earlier? There is a sense that this case is the tip of the proverbial iceberg. The Catholic Church, and other denominations for that matter, have been wrestling with the issue of abuse by priests for some time. Critics charge that the churches have been more concerned with covering up what happened than seeing justice done. The response has often been that treatment is the right response, and in fact, special facilities have been set up by churches to treat priests accused of pedophilia. But that is not enough for some victims and their advocates. They charge that when their behavior is discovered, priests are moved around in an effort to keep everything quiet. It's a difficult, troubling problem.

We'll take a look at the Boston case tonight, and the ripples spreading out around it. The Cardinal in Boston, who is under increasing pressure to resign, declined our invitation to appear, but we will have a representative from the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops on the broadcast tonight.

This is a difficult, emotional issue for everyone involved. But ignoring it is not going to make it go away.

Monday, January 28, 2002

Leroy Sievers Executive Producer Nightline Offices Washington, D.C.

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