we're happy, we love our son-in-law and we admire him but -- and we'd like to be around if there's grandkids, we want to be there to do our. >> alright mr. president, good luck. >> thank you. >> thanks for what you're doing. >> thanks. >> that's all of the time that we have today. i'm wolf blitzer. join us weekdays in "the situation room" 5:00 to 7:00 p.m. eastern every saturday at 6:00 p.m. eastern right here at cnn, and at that time, every weekend on cnn international. the news continues next on cnn. hello, everyone i'm don lemon. thank you so much for joining us. tonight, we're going to devote the better part of this hour to a discussion about the controversy swirling around bishop eddie long. among those joinings tonight ted hag art a man who faced his own sexual scandal while still a minister. there he is live. he'll join us in just a bit but

first 60 seconds catch you up on today's top stories. the torrential rains in the upper midwest are gone but the water left behind is causing big problems. thursday's downpours have told a week end of cresting creeks and rivers in parts of minnesota and wisconsin. no reports of deaths or injuries though but flooding is expected to last through the weekend. the obama administration is asking a court to dismiss a lawsuit filed on behalf of the father of a fugitive militant onwar alalochi. the yemeni-american father's claims the government wants to assassinate his son. would require the closure of highly sensitive national security information. the u.s. officials believe helped recruit the nigerian suspect accused of trying to blow up the northwest airlines' flight as it landed in detroit on christmas day. a federal judge is ordering the air force reserve to reenstate an openly lesbian flight nurse, major market witt was discharged in 2007 under the

military's don't ask, don't tell policy but judge ruled the discharge violated witt's constitutional rights. this past week, the senate blocked a defense bill would that have repealed don't ask, don't tell. the leader of one of the biggest churches in america is under siege right now because of a string of sexual allegations against him. we're talking about the bishop eddie long of new berth missionary baptist church just outside of atlanta. he says he'll speak tomorrow to his congregation about the charges made in civil lawsuits this week by four young men who had been church members. long's address to his flock could, well, it could make or break the huge religious empire that he built since he took over new berth back in 1987. the church had 300 members when long became pastor and today it claims more than 25,000 members. let's get you up to date on this developing story now with cnn's martin savage. he's been looking into these shocking allegations in the evolving story here.

tell us about tomorrow's church service. we've been going back and forth about exactly when he's going to say, what the media's allowed to hear, so on and so forth. >> no quiet most important day probably in bishop long's life as being a religious leader. and it's going to begin at 8:00 in the morning. there are two service tomorrow 8:00 and 11:00. as far as the media participation of being able to cort event there will be the first half hour of the service up until bishop long arrives. that will be available, cnn will have a pool camera inside. there will also be the church feed. that's all going on. at 8:30 when he comes in, it all stops. cnn camera will be asked to leave and the feed from the church service will stop. the reporters who are there will be allowed to remain. they will hear what the bishop says to his congregation but that is considered to be a private moment for the bishop to speak to his family as they put it. >> but reasoning behind that? are they explaining that to you? >> no, not yet. other than -- they believe that it's, obviously a very important communication he's going to make. they do not say in any way, shape, or form what his message

is going to be. >> here's what people have been saying, the comments and just people have been just sort of, i don't know, thinking or assuming this, yet. that he may say something or is going to say something or possibly admitted to something that he doesn't want repeated over and over on videotape. >> well there, will be a live stream fed on the internet that you can access by going to the church's website. the reality is, it's doubtful that will uphold to all of the people that will be logging on to try to see this. but it is possible, we could, in fact, see him make this statement. but beyond that, he's going to hold a press conference between the two church services. the media's invited, all accredited news people can be on hand and ask what they want of bishop long and of his attorneys. >> all right. martin savage, thank you. first two, three and now there are four young men who are accusing bishop eddie long of coercing them on into sex. martin savage, thank you so much. we appreciate it. we're going to move on now and talk about this sexual misconduct happens every day, but when the allegations are

directed at the clergy it is especially unsettling. ted hag art his own sex scandal back in 2006 and joins us from denver. thank you so mitch for joining us, ted. how are you doing today? >> i'm doing well, good to see you, don. >> good to see you. what do you make of these allegations against bishop eddie long? >> well, it's very sad. i think it points out to me that over and over and over again, we all hope that our leaders don't have sin in their life or don't fail but when we look we find out leaders are just like everybody else. whether he's guilty of these particular allegations or not, are there other faults in everybody's life. everybody needs grace. everybody's going to fail. everybody is in some measure a hypocrite in one way or another and that's always disappointing and so i think it just points out to us that we're all humans and we all struggle with the human condition. >> so listen, i want to play this, because as with what happened with you, it was said

that you were hypocritical in the sense because at first you didn't tell the truth about it. you said, well, you know, these allegations are false. >> right. >> and you didn't believe in gay marriage and that you didn't believe in homosexuality at all. so i want to talk about this. because bishop eddie long also has said the same things. he doesn't believe in gay marriage it's against god and as a matter of fact to me when i interviewed him back in october of last year he said the same thing i don't believe in gay marriage it's against god. play number two for me, tom. talk about a marriage ceremony or a commitment ceremony that he's alleged to have had with one of the young men. >> eventually, it turned into such a relationship that the bishop had a ceremony with anthony flag called a covenant. when that covenant it was essentially a marriage ceremony where there was candles, exchange of jewelry, and biblical quotes given in order for anthony to know and for the bishop to tell him, i will

always have your back and you will always have mine. >> so reverend is this a matter of hypocrisy? listen, innocent until proven guilty. if the bishop you know does come out who knows what he's going to say tomorrow but is it a matter of hypocrisy here when we hear these allegations? >> right. well, i think -- i think it's an issue of incongrewity. he probably has a -- i'm just guessing here. but he probably has a theological position that motivates him in some areas of his life. then he has, if these allegations are true, then there's the reality of his own humanity that he's struggling with. and of course, the big goal is for all of us to become increasingly congrewent between our faith and our system and our own actions and certainly if what he's going to go through is what i went through, i had to face myself and accept the realities of me who i was, what was going on, how that

interfaces with scripture, how that interfaces with life, and get those issues settled and that's what happens when people go through a crisis like this. >> so the church is a very different -- >> yeah i know. it's very confusing. >> it is. >> and heartbreaking but we see it all of the time. >> the church is a very forgiving place, a very forgiving place and you admitted these things -- >> theologically it is. >> but you still lost your post and you still lost your church. >> yeah, and well, that's the same thing. people have a theology, a belief system and then the realities. and christiansault know sin in the clergy of god. jesus died for everybody. we don't have any righteousness on our own and yet christians are judgmental. the same time congruity. and that's why life teaches all of us and these four men are going through lessons in life maybe about their own vulnerabilities and their own actions. eddie, bishop long is going

through the same type of thing. so we from the outside when we look at this, we see this as an incredible learning moment for all of us bewhere we become hypocrites is we may say, well, i'm judging him now for hypocrisy and i'm judging the men for not being maybe as responsible as they should to stand up under pressure or whatever. i think what we need to be from the outside is supportive and encouraging for all parties concerned. let the church handle this. let the legal authorities handle this. there's four civil lawsuits. but our role is to pray -- there's a tomorrow for all of them -- and to pray that all of them become better men just like all of us become better men and women as we go through disappointing things in life. >> okay, listen, there were, with you, there were e-mails and they tracked your credit cards and they tracked online and whatever and whatever. and you, i believe that you said that you got to a point where there was so much evidence that you were glad that that evidence

was out there because there was no turning back. you had to tell the truth. let's listen to number six and we're going to talk about that. >> i have the bishop's private e-mail addresses, more than one. he would text them. he would write them. they were not saying they're pornographic material but this bishop, why, this man who's so power, who's supposed to be busy ministering to his flock has time torques mail them back and forth, over and over, throughout the day. send me a picture of you at school. not naked but whatever it is, just send me a picture of you. >> again, reverend, innocent till proven guilty, does any of this sound familiar to you? >> right. well, i think everybody in ministry e-mails a lot of people, texts a lot of people. the content of those texts and e-mails is what is important. the fact with traveling with people. all megachurch pastors have to have people travel with them in order to get things done. what counts so that traveling

isn't indicative of itself. what's indicative is what goes on during those trips. and all that's yet to come out. all of that will be discussed tomorrow at church, then there will be additional responses and so i would just encourage everybody to understand this reflects the human condition in a variety of different ways. and we all need to look at that, let it warn us and let it help every one of us as we watch this but it won't help all of us if we're just judgmental and harsh. instead we need to learn from the four men. we need to learn from what's going to with the bishop and -- and be sympathetic and helpful to wives, children, and understand these are people. they aren't just symbols. they're people that we all need to be concerned about. there's enough hate in the world. we can all use a little bit more love. >> reverend, thank you. and i want you to stand-by because we have a lot more to talk about. the reverend is going to rejoin us in just a little bit. plus, what do the members of

bishop eddie long's church think about all of this? three of them right here and ask them along with a former employ eve the church. and a look at the roeflt black church in the lives of its members. and we want you to be part of this conversation tonight. if you can go on to any of the social network sites any of the social media there that you see and sends a comment.

bishop eddie long isn't the only one -- the only one named in the lawsuit against him so is a new berth missionary baptist church but long's congregation from the most part appears to be stabbeding behind him. something to do with the fact that nothing has been proven yet. remember that nothing has been proven yet. these are all allegations. but we want to bring in a panel

to ask what it also says about the faith of the black community, but faith in the black community. mark lemont shal columbia university professor and the host of the syndicated tv show it's called "our world in black enterprise." gentlemen, thank you so much for joining us. so mark, is there a tendency in the black community to elevate church leaders to the level of superstars? >> oh absolutely. we've seen that since the very beginning of black people's journey here at mark for a long time preachers are one of the few people who had access to education. they're one the few people who could exercise true leadership and so long the black church has been a centerpiece of not just black religious life but black cultural and black political life so preachers are superstars. before we had presidents and senators we had celebrity preachers. >> so shane lee is that necessarily a bad thing? >> it depends. it can be good because i think

competition in having people ministers learn from each other and prove their messages and their ministers, their technologies, their ways of meeting their needs and tastes of people, i think that's a good thing, but when you build a spiritual empire, it creates new pragmatic realities that you have to deal with, and that means generating large sums of money and that might challenge their prothetic of your ministry causing you to take shortcut or causing you to buy into the hype and see yourself as a star rather than as a humble servant. so i think it could be good in enhancing the professionalism of the black church but it could also be something that you know probably comes before a fall as the bible says. >> marc, you're shaking your head very certainly there. what's going on? why are you doing that? >> well, because -- well because it's so easy you know to be seduced by the cars and the jets and the attention. instead of being a prophet you can actually become a pimp. i'm not talking about eddie long if particular i'm talking about gone who has access to that much aduration over one time and what we've seen and shayne talks

about this in his book is many of these preachers have become america's preachers. many of these people of transcended and even racial boundaries so when you get an eddie long some of these mega church ministers a huge possibility a huge trap that you can fall into if you're not careful. you could think that you're god instead of god's prophet. >> that's what i was going to say shayne and marc. doing the whole story for the past week or so now i've heard everyone talk about the bishop, my bishop, my bishop. we're going to stand by him. which is great. no one has mentioned god, jesus or christ in any of this, shayne. >> to be fair to bishop long i think that part of his success and the reason why people other than so loyal is because he's very effective at preaching a message that speaks to their needs. he was effective at speaking in a language that people understand and his ministry along with you know his own personal finances have done a lot to help the needy, help poor people so there is a side to bishop long that generates loyalty that comes from you

know, he does have a humble servant's heart alongside a huge ego and kock cocky attitude an, masculine complex figure. we have to realize both sides of the equation. >> i'm just asking, might that explain the pictures in the bathroom with the tight spandex or whatever is that he's bold of his -- the way that h does business differently than old school preachers? >> well, there's nothing -- nothing new school about that. preachers have been doing this since day one. that's a very generous interpretation and if this happens to be one of the greatest scandals perpetrated by the plaintiffs then that could be true but what i single more likely is that this is someone who's ego got the best of him, who's desire got the best of him. someone who lost track of his calling and as a result ended up in a very, very bad place and all that we can do is hope that he and the victims make it out but those pictures are very damning. i can't imagine any kind of a reasonable explanation for that

type of activity from a preacher. >> ask you, shayne, if we could put those pictures up, seriously, how do you explain that? you say this is you know i'm sending this to you because i want you to work on your spiritual muscle? i mean, how would one explain sending those pictures to someone? >> i'm very curious to see how bishop long explains it. but i'm surprised that he's going to do a press conference where he's going to take questions because don, your very question is what's going to be asked then he's going to have to come up with some crazy -- some kind of -- gymnastics to edgeiggy that foikt see where it's not damaging. i totally agree with marc. >> homosexuality is a sin. it's not unique in the black church and is that part of the problem -- not necessarily teaching that homosexuality a sin, that's number one the hypocrisy but also the acceptance of gays and lesbians in the black church. i read a "newsweek" article, marc, saying when are gays and

lesbians in the black church going to be treated as equals or even allowed into the fold? >> right, i mean the fundamental question is will they be treated as human beings? while this is not unusual in the black church there are strands of black religious thought that are much more open and so much more understanding, those who follow the tradition of jesus and the love ethic is the primary thing that i will love all people and all neighbors as myself. other churches like eddie long's are not only antigay but adamant in their gay/lesbian campaign. >> which is odd to me coming from african-americans who have been discriminated against. i don't understand why people who've been discriminated against will then turn around and discriminate against other people? they know how to feels. >> well, i think that there's a sense of shame and embarrassment in the black church and in the black community in general. i think a deep of shame around homosexuality and around sexual abuse and i think that's you see these types of things happening. >> shayne, five seconds. i have to run. what did you want to say. >> this evangelical see the

bible as the authoritative word of god. >> these guys will be back with us in a moment. stay with us, guys. we've heard what the accusers have to say, well, tomorrow you're going to hear what bishop long has to say but when we come back we'll talk live with several members of long's congregation. an honest buck...month. mae and if you're gonna try and do this in anything other than a chevy... well, good luck...month. great deals on the complete family of chevy trucks all backed for a hundred thousand miles. it's truck month. now buy this 2011 all-star edition silverado and combine the option package discount with other offers for a total value of five thousand dollars. see your local chevrolet dealer. everything you need to stretch out on long trips. residence inn. ♪

everything you need to stay balanced on long trips. residence inn.

but one patient is my favorite... my mother. last year mom needed additional nutrition so i recommended boost nutritional drink. and she still drinks it every day. [ male announcer ] boost has 26 vitamins & minerals and calcium to help keep bones strong... and 10g of protein to help maintain muscle.

making it the perfect compliment to your daily routine. [ amy ] boost drink gives my favorite patient the complete nutrition she needs to keep doing the things she loves. spiritual leaders under fire so, what kind of toll is the bishop scandal taking on the members of his church and do they continue to stand behind bishop eddie long? joining me here in atlanta is john campbell the iii. gabriel richards. thanks to all joining us. they all attend the missionary baptist church and via skype from london. a grammy-award producer and former employ eve newberth. kevin, i want to start with you, since you're now observing from the outside, do you think that most of the members of the church will stand behind bishop long? >> first of all, thanks, don, for the opportunity. i do.

the black church is very loyal even sometimes to a fault. but at the same time many of them came to christ under bishop long's ministry so they will definitely be loyal and trust, that he's innocent and hope that he's charges can be proven to not be true. >> and what about your feelings about this? i asked you about them. how do you feel about this? >> well, without a shadow of the doubt, the information is certainly damaging. the evidence and all of the things that are coming out slowly one piece at a time, all of that is very troubling to many of us in the gospel community and the christian community and it is also my hope that these things are not true and that he'll be able to prove his innocence. >> okay. so, john, why do you stand behind the bishop? >> i personally stand behind the bishop because he's my leader and as members of the body of christ it is our duty to stand behind and licht the arms of our prophet and that's what i will continue to do until he gives me

reason not to. >> and what about you, gabrielle? >> i've been a member for almost eight years now and ever since i've been there, the ministry has done so much for my family and i, for my friends and i, and for my school mates. i stand behind the ministry. >> okay. gary? >> i stand behind the bishop because of the leader that he is. he is a true leader. the word that he gives is so rich and it's so life-changing. there is something about bishop that you just respect. and i support the ministry because the ministry has supported me. >> when he was -- when he was supposed to speak out on the radio show and then speak out at other times and he didn't, did that -- did that concern you at all, gabrielle, are you at all

asking yourself, any of you, why isn't he talking about this? >> well, i feel as though he's following his spirit because it may not be the point of time for them to step out yet. he wants to address his congregation on sunday and that's what he wants to do. i agree that. >> john, go ahead. hang ohang on one second. i want to hear this young man and then we'll get to you, kevin. >> i feel this is very typical of bishop. bishcyp family-oriented man and he'll view new birth as his family so i do see why he would delay speaking to the radio before speaking to his congregation. >> kevin, go ahead. >> well, we understand the delay but even those of nus christian who are not members of new birth we also want to hear from bishop long and there are those who have supported his ministry, bought the books, bought the videos and tapes and the cds as well and we do want him to speak out so whatever this clout of suspicion is over him, you know, can be dispersed.

>> yeah i know it's very tough to listen to this but i want you to listen to what the lawyer of the accused to say about one of the young young men that have accused the bishop. we'll play that and then we'll talk about it. >> anthony wasnewed and lived in that house for approximately at the end of 11th grade when he was 17 years old. and there the pastor started to do what adult pedophiles do with younger, younger people, which is starting to spend time with them casually watch tv with them and lay his legs on him and then ask him to massage him and then start explaining to him how special he was to him and it was special for the bishop to be able to spend time with them. they did devotional readings together. he was over there on a regular basis at this house. >> what do you think when you hear that? what do you think when you hear

that, john? >> i -- i still have a feeling that those -- those are not intentions of bishop. bishop is known to be a mentor to young men and i feel that him -- having interaction with this young man or watching tv with him, it's nothing eye don't feel that it was anything with a negative intention behind that. >> let me tell you what got my attention about this and i have never admitted this on television. i'm a victim of a pedophile when i was a kid, someone who was much older than me. and those are the things that they do. the language. this doesn't make you gay if you do this. so when someone starts to say that, you start to perk up and go, ooh, four people have said the same exact story and usings same buzz words. how do people come up with those stories? did that ever cross any of your minds, gabrielle, when you heard that four people who've come up with the same exact story, who, two of them know each other. the third one doesn't really

know the other one and the fourth one doesn't know any of them. >> when i look at different pedophiles, as said, i don't see bishop as one. you look at the various things that he's done for the community and for young people in general, none of it boils down to him looking like a pedophile. >> so does this mean -- and i'm not saying that the bishop a pedophile, i'm not saying that the bishop is guilty. but no one is perfect. and so far you know, i've heard members of the congregation, some people say that, but many people have not even put into their mind the possibility that this man is not perfect and maybe in some way, even if it wasn't -- the behavior didn't go as far as what the men were saying, that something there was inappropriate. kevin, and as i was saying, kevin, you're older than these guys. i've never admitted that on television and i never told my mom until i was 30 years.

especially african-american men don't want to talk about those things and don't want to admit them even if there's money involve thad may make money off of it. >> you're telling the truth, don. and the truth of the matter is most people don't lie when it comes to this type of thing and that's why it's so very important that the bishop speak out and pause and the delay that it's taking for him to speak out is really causing more -- making it even more troubling. >> yeah i think that you're all brave. kevin, thank you for joining us from london. thank you, guys, so much. i think that you're very brave and of course, you should stand behind your bishop but you should also have an open mind about this. we hope that these allegations are not true and as i said i've been saying all week there are no winners in this situation. so best of luck to you tomorrow and come back tomorrow and talk to us about what you heard there in the congregation, okay? >> all right. >> thank you very much. black churchgoers often to look their leaders as role model, many times putting them on a pedestal but does that leave them vulnerable to exploitation? marc lemont hill and shayne lee

and hag art talk about that next. 7 ♪ [ male announcer ] an everyday moment can turn romantic anytime. and when it does, men with erectile dysfunction can be more confident in their ability to be ready with cialis for daily use. cialis for daily use is a clinically proven low-dose tablet you take every day, so you can be ready anytime the moment's right. ♪ tell your doctor about your medical condition and all medications, and ask if you're healthy enough for sexual activity. don't take cialis if you take nitrates for chest pain, as this may cause an unsafe drop in blood pressure. [ man ] don't drink alcohol in excess with cialis. side effects may include headache, upset stomach, delayed backache, or muscle ache. to avoid long-term injury, seek immediate medical help for an erection lasting more than 4 hours. if you have any sudden decrease or loss in hearing or vision,

stop taking cialis and call your doctor right away. [ male announcer ] ask your doctor if cialis for daily use is right for you. for a 30-tablet free trial offer, go to cialis.com. we need directions to go to... pearblossom highway? it's just outside of lancaster. sure, i can download directions for you now. we got it. thank you very much! check it out. i can like, see everything that's going on with the car. here's the gas level. i can check on the oil. i can unlock it from anywhere. i've received a signal there was a crash. some guy just cut me off. i'll get an ambulance to you right away. safely connecting you in ways you never thought possible. onstar. live on. when allergies make them itch, don't wait for your pills to kick in. choose alaway, from the eye health experts at bausch & lomb. it works in minutes and up to 12 hours. bausch & lomb alaway. because it's not just your allergies, it's your eyes.

personal pricing now on brakes. tell us what you want to pay. we do our best to make that work. deal! my money. my choice. my meineke. we've been discussing the sex scandal that has now engulfed bishop eddie long of new birth missionary baptist church in lath ownia georgia, outside of atlanta. i want to bring back our panel now columbia university professor marc lemont hill. tv host of "our world with black enterprise." and tulane university professor shayne lee. and also ted haggart and now the pastor of the st. james church in colorado springs.

thank you, guys, for talking about this. it was tough to play that for the members of the church, they were so young, but you know, this is reality here. so listen, the woman who is representing the plaintiffs here, the young men, b.j. bernstein, a very prominent attorney. and b.j. bernstein doesn't mess around. i mean he's janara wilson, marc lamont hill, you know got him off. it was a very big case she talked about case and why she would take it on and she said bring it into federal officials. take a look at this. >> and i can tell you this is -- gives me the creeps beyond anything that i have ever heard because for someone to use their power and be their pastor and use biblical verses when he is out in front and listed by the southern poverty law center as one of the most homophobic preachers in america, and so he makes these varillent antihomosexual remarks and at the same time he's leading

apparently some sort of double life. and these young men are confused, they're confused about their sexuality because at the same time this is happening, they're actually wanting to meet girls. one of these young men is a father of a child because they aren't gay. they just wanted to be loved and cared for by one of the most powerful charismatic men that the churches have ever known. >> i was looking at your gentlemen's faces as that was going on. ted, it looks like it tames you? >> well the human condition is painful because anybody with a set of ideals especially someone -- somebody obligated to teach the scriptures have that set of ideals and therein they've got their humanity. what stress mead earlier is when you sbrutd church members, how they said, he did so many good things he couldn't have done this. that is not true. it's not reflective of the human condition. every pastor is a cinerwhile at

the same time is a saint. >> marc? >> and it's a percentage thing. he's a human communicating devine things. and so that struggle is universal and everybody has to accept that. >> go ahead, marc. >> one way or another. >> i need to interject here because i think that there's a homophobic undertone that has governed this entire situation not just ted but in the media general. as ted points out inhumanity about eddie long. something about him that's fundamentally problematic nothing to do with sexuality or homophobic sexuality with the exploitation his members. b.j. bernstein, extraordinary respect for him. i actually helped her free janarro wilson. nothing exculpatory. that's problem. as long as we know to prosecute this in a way that sort of reinforces homophobia but in the church and in the communities we'll continue to have problems like this that's why people like eddie long can go out thren and

are varilent. >> b.j. bernstein speaks to that, number three, guys, and play and this and then we'll talk about it. >> he would use biblical stories to talk about how important it was to follow your leader. and your master and let him know that the acts that he was engaged in were not necessarily meaning that he was a homosexual or that either of them was but the pastor bishop long was releasing his passion and his love for anthony. >> what do you think of that and what marc said, there's an underlying homophobia not won't this case the way that this case is presented and also with the media and the way it's being interpreted in the public? >> you can go back to any -- novel to see that the black church is a hostile -- and sometimes people exploit people under them to yield to those temptations but difference here is if bishop long were accused

by women i think it would be -- even if he was guilty there would be a chance that he could survive. the fact that the black church has such a strong stance -- or black churches have strong stances against homosexuality that presents this in a whole different light as far as damaging his career. i think if -- if these allegations even hold part qally true to show someone who has same-sex erotic urges his ministry is done. >> so, ted, we're talking about the black church here. is the black church, do you think, more homophobic in a sense than the white church? >> i think eye think that the main line churches aren't much less but my experience was that evangelicalism, their response to me was incredibly, incredibly harsh because of the homosexual element. and it's much easier, culturally, if you're tendency is heterosexual if it's same-sex

attraction but i think that overall point is the church is not the gether and the gether of the righteous penguins at we've got to get over the fact that our leaders, sunday school teachers or anybody else, nobody is perfect. everybody's in process and i don't say that to justify or explain anything away. just as a lesson and reality that when we exult people and when we start thinking they're perfect, we're just in for a disappointment. and if it isn't this particular sin, it is another one, all have sinned. everyone needs redemption. >> that will have to be the last word. thank you, guy, so much. ted haggart. shayne lee, marc lemont hill. a very interesting conversation. a very smart conversation and no yelling and screaming, just how i like it. thank you so much, guys. >> thanks, don. >> thank you. >> have a great evening. >> pleasure. looking at some of your top stories coming up next and he's often called the holy sea but did the pope turn a blind eye to the sex abuse going on in the catholic church?

everything you need to stretch out on long trips. residence inn. ♪ everything you need to stay balanced on long trips. residence inn. the one thing about smoking -- is it dominates your life, and it dominated mine. i honestly loved smoking, and i honestly didn't think i would ever quit. ♪ it was very interesting that you could smoke on the first week. [ male announcer ] chantix is a non-nicotine pill that stays with you all day to help you quit. in studies, 44% of chantix users were quit during weeks 9 to 12 of treatment, compared to 18% on sugar pill. it's proven to reduce the urge to smoke.

i did have an unopened pack of cigarettes in my purse... i said, you know, "bye, i don't need you any more, you're not my crutch, i don't need a crutch." [ male announcer ] ask your doctor if chantix is right for you. and find out how you can save money on your prescription at chantix.com. some people have had changes in behavior, hostility, agitation, depressed mood and suicidal thoughts or actions while taking or after stopping chantix. if you notice agitation, hostility, depression or changes in behavior, thinking or mood that are not typical for you, or if you develop suicidal thoughts or actions, stop taking chantix and call your doctor right away. talk to your doctor about any history of depression or other mental health problems, which can get worse while taking chantix. some people can have allergic or serious skin reactions to chantix, some of which can be life threatening. if you notice swelling of face, mouth, throat or a rash stop taking chantix and see your doctor right away. do not take chantix if you've had a serious allergic or skin reaction to chantix. tell your doctor which medicines you're taking as they may work differently when you quit smoking. chantix dosing may be different if you have kidney problems. the most common side effect is nausea.

patients also reported trouble sleeping and vivid, unusual or strange dreams. until you know how chantix may affect you, use caution when driving or operating machinery. chantix should not be taken with other quit-smoking products. ♪ with the chantix and with the support system, it worked for me. [ male announcer ] talk to your doctor about chantix. find out how you can save money on your prescription and learn terms and conditions at chantix.com. top stories right now on cnn. this christian concert got under way in ft. brag, north carolina, just a short time ago. the rock deford event is put on

by the billy graham evangelistic association. tried to get it cancel. they say it blurless the line between church and state. secretary of state hillary clinton and middle east envoy george mitchell are spearheading a last-ditch effort to salvage israeli/palestinian peace talks. president mahmoud abbas is threatening to quit the talks if israel does not extend the freeze on settlement construction in the west bank, it is due to expire tomorrow. an earthquake ravaged haiti. searchers are looking for people who may be trapped or injured after a ferocious storm yesterday. heavy winds and rains pounded the capital of port-au-prince. providing shelter to quake survivors. we're going to take a short break.

and a small school for the death in milwaukee, wisconsin, as many as 200 deaf boys were raped or sexually abused by the priest and the head pastor at the school. one of the most notorious case of sex abuse in the catholic church. tonight a cnn exclusive. the first interview one of those victims who is now suing pope benedict. it's part of a cnn special documentarily examining what

pope benedict did or didn't do about the crisis. cnn's gary tuchman has the story. >> at a lakeside retreat in northern wisconsin -- >> come -- >> reporter: terry tries to escape his past. it isn't easy. 50 years ago when he was just 10 years old, terry who is deaf was sent to the st. johns school in milwaukee, wisconsin. what happened there to terry and up to 200 deaf boys is now central to the sex abuse crisis in the catholic church. and to the question of what pope benedi benedict, then cardinal ratzinger knew about it all. terryco hut has never spoken publicly about the horrors he endured at st. johns until now. what did he do to you? >> and then it was that

afternoon when i went into his office, the door was closed and the father said, take your pants down. >> reporter: father lawrence murphy was the head master and appreciate at st. johns for more than two decades. a charismatic fund-raiser and respected church leader but father murphy has always been identified by dozens of deaf men who say he raped and sexually abused them as children for years. father murphy's abuse would come to the direct attention of cardinal ratzinger, but his handling of the case would stun murphy's victims. >> i think what the murphy case shows is the deference that cardinal ratzinger and pope benedict would always give to the priest. >> what actually happens in court -- >> reporter: today, terry cohut is suing the vatican for what father much desat st. johns. his lawsuit is the first to ever specifically name joseph ratzinger and now pope benedict. terry's been unanimous named

only as john doe 16. >> yeah i was confused. i said why? he was a priest. i was trying to figure out what -- i can't believe a priest would do that. >> reporter: the priest is believed to have picked out victims who were especially vulnerable or had been through tragedy already in their young lives. >> translator: my brother was electrocuted, died when i was 10. and when i was 11, my father hung himself. and at 12, my favorite dog died and it tore me up and i saw father murphy and i thought that he could be a second father. >> tell me why, terry, you have decided to file suit? what do you want to see happen? >> translator: i want to see the vatican because i have been waiting for all these years for them to excommunicate, defrock father murphy, but they haven't.

>> gary tuchman joins me now with more on his documentary. garry, what did cardinal ratzinger do about father murphy? was he allowed to die still a priest? >> the bishop of milwaukee at the time wrote letters to cardinal ratzinger saying please, this man must be defrocked, he's a molester. scores of deaf kids have been molested by him and we need him defrocked immediately. what happened was father murphy sent a note to father ratzinger saying i'm old, i'm sick, please let me die in peace. and then the bishop in milwaukee said let him die in peace and he ended up dying and was never defrocked. >> what prompted us to do this story at cnn. >> there are two main reasons we ended up doing it, one because you just saw terry decided to sue pope benedict and the vat

t can and that's the first of its kind situation. literally the vatican documents, we were able to get, and they show beyond any doubt that cardinal ratzinger did know about the situation back then, he's publicly apologized on behalf of the church, but he's never personally apologized. >> make sure you catch the documentary, "what the pope knew." it will air tonight and tomorrow night at 8:00 p.m. eastern, in just a few minutes, right after this program, make sure you stay tuned. up next, obama bashers and staged brawls, our political ticker straight ahead. directions for you now. we got it. thank you very much! check it out. i can like, see everything that's going on with the car. here's the gas level. i can check on the oil. i can unlock it from anywhere. i've received a signal there was a crash. some guy just cut me off. i'll get an ambulance to you right away. safely connecting you in ways you never thought possible. onstar. live on.

when allergies make them itch, don't wait for your pills to kick in. choose alaway, from the eye health experts at bausch & lomb. it works in minutes and up to 12 hours. bausch & lomb alaway. because it's not just your allergies,

it's your eyes.

it's time right now for a cnn equals politics update. we'll start in nevada tonight where republican senate hopeful sharon angle says two supporters of harry reid staged a scuffle that erupted at a candidate forum. two women were in her words looking for a fight. a reid spokeswoman says angle's remarks make people, quote, literally question her sanity. the latest cnn poll shows angle leading reid by a single point.

carolina senator jim demint has made a name for himself among some of his fellow republicans. now he's writing a fundraising letter blasting his gop colleagues by asking lisa murkowski. she recently announced plans to run a write-in campaign against her democratic and republican opponents. mitt romney looked an awful lot like a presidential candidate while speaking at new hampshire's gop convention "today." t the former massachusetts governor bashed the obama administration saying that it's not that liberals are ignorant, it's just that what they know is wrong. among the states, new hampshire has one of the earlier republican presidential primaries and that's why he's there. i'm don lemon at the cnn world headquarters in atlanta. i'll see you here at 10:00 p.m.

eastern, if you missed any of our discussions this hour on the sexual allegations facing bishop eddie long, we'll play it again at 10 p.m. eastern. a cnn exclusive "what the pope knew" it starts after a quick break. hi. you know, if we had let fedex office print our presentation, they could have shipped it too. saved ourselves the hassle. i'm not too sure about this. look at this. [ security agent ] right. you never kick off with sales figures. kicking off with sales figures! i'm yawning. i'm yawning some more. aaaaaaaand... [ snores ] i see your point. yeah. [ snores ] [ male announcer ] we understand.® you need a partner who delivers convenience. next time use fedex office. [ tires screech ] [ engine revving ] [ drums playing ]

[ male announcer ] 306 horsepower. race-inspired paddle shifters and f sport-tuned suspension. all available on the new 2011 lexus is. it isn't real performance, unless it's wielded with precision. see your lexus dealer. ♪ now the healing power of touch just got more powerful. introducing precise from the makers of tylenol. precise pain relieving cream works quickly to activate sensory receptors. it helps block pain signals fast for relief you can feel precisely where you need it most. precise. only from the makers of tylenol. precise. host: coulswinto geico did the little piggy cry wre on wee all the wahome?

piggy: weeeeeee, weeeeeee, weeeeeee, weeeee weeeeeeee. mom: pix. ...maxwell! mom: you're home. piy:h,ol, anks mrs. a. anncr: geico. minutes could save you 15% or more. [ female announcer ] it starts with you falling in love with the most personalized most customized piece of furniture you will ever own. ♪ get that one piece right and the rest of the room will just fall into place. it starts with you introducing yourself to the world of ethan allen. see your ethan allen design center today for two beautiful ways to save. personal pricing now on brakes.