Boston Catholics Install New Bishop Story aired: Wednesday, July 30, 2003
While the clergy sex abuse scandal has touched Catholic dioceses across the nation, nowhere has it had a greater impact than in Boston, where, today, Bishop Sean Patrick O'Malley becomes the new archbishop.
O'Malley replaces Cardinal Bernard Law, who resigned in December, after admitting that he reassigned priests to new parishes, even though they had been accused of abusing children.
The Vatican is hoping that O'Malley's installation will be the beginning of a new era for the beleaguered Boston Archdiocese, where church attendance is down, Catholic schools are closing, and 250 priests have been accused of molesting children over a period that spans more than four decades.
WBUR's Toni Randolph is at Bishop O'Malley's installation, at the Cathedral of the Holy Cross in Boston.
Meanwhile, the Vatican is launching a worldwide campaign against legal acceptance of same-sex marriages. Just six months ago, the church issued a set of guidelines reminding Catholic politicians of the Vatican's "non-negotiable" position on issues including abortion, euthanasia, and civil unions. All of which leads to a new version of an old question: how does a Catholic politician decide on a vote of conscience?
Joining us on the line is former Vermont Representative Cheryl Hooker, who voted for civil unions three years ago, despite threatening phone calls and letters calling her a "disgrace to Catholics in Vermont."
