>> abernethy: coming up, a catholic writer and editor reacts to the church's sex abuse scandal. and, muslim parents who are educating their children at home. >> we've chosen home-schooling for our children and our family to provide that, again, the strong values and strong foundation, as well as strong academics and strong respect and understanding of our faith, as well as respect for other faiths. >> abernethy: plus, a personal journey: managing editor kim lawton revisits the mission in haiti that her grandparents helped establish there more than 30 years ago. captioning sponsored by the lilly endowment

>> abernethy: welcome. i'm bob abernethy. it's good to have you with us. pope benedict xvi directly addressed the church sex abuse scandal this week. at the vatican, the pope told pilgrims in st. peter's square the church planned to take action in the face of allegations of abusive priests and negligent bishops. he did not elaborate, but soon afterward the vatican accepted the resignations of bishops in ireland and belgium because of the scandal. last weekend, during a visit to malta, benedict met privately with victims of clerical sex abuse and, with them, he prayed and wept.

the continuing crisis in the church has left millions of american catholics sad, angry, and wondering what can be done to resolve it. we want to talk about that with margaret steinfels, former editor in chief of "commonweal" magazine, now co-director of the center on religion and culture at fordham university. she joins us from new york how do you describe the range of reactions among the u.s. catholic laity? >> i think that many people are surprised that this has come back on the tv screen and the newspapers. american catholics went through this a couple times before, most recently in 2002, and i would say that at this point there is among many people a sort of battle fatigue-- "why hasn't this been dealt with?" >> abernethy: has it increased

divisions among catholics here or increased divisions between the laity here and the hierarchy? >> i don't know that it... i guess we could say that it has increased the ongoing factionalism of the church, where the right declares this is the problem of the sex revolution of the '60s and homosexuality in the clergy; people on the left say, "no, no, if we had women priests, bishops and cardinals, this would never happen." so i don't know that there are additions to this, but i think there is certainly ongoing factionalism among catholics. >> abernethy: the church is a very top-down organization. are there things that catholics in the pews can do from the bottom-up that might be helpful? >> of course it's top-down, but it's not the marine corps. and i do think that at the

parish level-- and my own parish, for example-- the pastor has dealt with this forthrightly and directly. and i think the people in our pews, anyway, have a feeling, "well, here's somebody who really understands the problem and who's prepared to talk about it from the pulpit." i think that is a great benefit to those catholics who actually still go to mass. of course, those who don't, don't hear that message. >> abernethy: so what should pope benedict do? >> well, i think the whole vatican needs to come to grips with this. they need to get the truth out insofar as they know it. they should get it out quickly, and i guess they should stop blaming the messengers, whoever they may be. >> abernethy: do you think the messengers have been exaggerating the story? >> i've been a little surprised at the viral nature of the

stories, and i do think that there has been a certain lack of professionalism among journalists in tracking down details of the stories. but again i don't think we should blame the messengers. i think the catholic church needs to take this issue in hand and deal with it. >> abernethy: margaret steinfels of fordham university, many thanks. >> abernethy: in other news, some religious leaders are protesting a new immigration bill in arizona. the measure would require police in the state to check the status of anyone they suspect may be in the country illegally. it would be the toughest law in the u.s. intended to prevent more illegal immigration. cardinal roger mahony of los angeles, who has been outspoken in his calls for more liberal immigration policies, was among the critics. he likened the bill to a nazi tactic and called it

"retrogressive and mean- spirited." in washington, the supreme court heard arguments in a case that could have far-reaching impact on religious groups. the case pits the university of california's hastings school of the law in san francisco against a student chapter of the christian legal society. hastings refused to recognize the christian group because it requires members to sign a statement affirming their christianity and agreeing with certain socially conservative views. hastings says it is practicing non-discrimination. the student group says it is being denied freedom of association. in china, mourning continued after this month's deadly earthquake. more than 2,000 people were killed and 12,000 injured in the tragedy. tibetan buddhist monks have been helping with rescue efforts, organizing services for the dead and offering prayers for the

victims. in this country, many evangelical christians home- school their children, in part to insulate them from a public school culture they say conflicts with their religious values. now, some muslim americans are doing the same thing. we have a story today from bob faw about two muslim home-school families in northern virginia. >> reporter: in the heart of mainstream america, a cub scout derby where each of the home- designed cars is carefully weighed and measured before roaring off at breakneck speed. here, enterprise, ingenuity and patience are justly rewarded. >> my favorite part was when i got in first. >> reporter: it's a mainstream event passionately embraced not only by the jaka brothers but also by nine-year-old bilal khan, whose education and upbringing is anything but mainstream.

in his loudoun county, virginia, home, bilal is being taught math by his mother zakia. >> so five is closer to seven, or ten is closer to seven? >> reporter: in another home nearby, priscilla martinez is teaching her six children, ages two to 12, about condensation. >> we're going to learn about clouds, evaporation, condensation and precipitation. >> reporter: they are part of a growing movement-- no one knows the exact number-- of muslims who home-school their children because they want them to get a more holistic education than a public school can provide. >> what we are trying to do is give our children a foundation within the family first, and their identities, with values. that's kind of the springboard for what it is that we would like for them to take with them throughout life. >> reporter: and home-schooling lets these muslim families focus on their faith. using the computer, bilal

studies the koran with a teacher from pakistan, home of his father, maqsood, and his mother. >> over there we know that everything is islamic-based, but over here we don't see islamic way of life outside the house. >> we're still tied to that country and want them to understand the culture and to learn about the religion. >> reporter: priscilla's 12- year-old daughter, hidayah jaka, a seventh grader, helps her eight-year-old brother, mikaeel, to read the koran. >> it is better like this because we have the flexibility to do it whenever we want. >> reporter: muslim parents say home-schooling can provide a better learning experience because the work can be tailored to each child's needs. bilal, for example, who learned to read before he entered public school, got bored when he had to wait for the other kids in his grade to catch up. >> it was just not challenging enough for him, and so we felt

that we could probably do a lot more to challenge them and to help them learn. they can learn more of what they like, what they feel comfortable with. >> reporter: in each home, the older children assist the younger siblings. when 15-year-old meena khan is not studying geometry, history and literature, she helps her 14-year-old sister, heba, with her math. no matter what's going on, both families stop what they are doing to pray five times every day. all this, proponents argue, is part of instilling values which their children would not get in public schools. >> we've chosen home-schooling for our children and our family to provide that, again, the strong values and strong foundation, as well as strong academics and strong respect and understanding of our faith, as well as respect for other faiths. >> reporter: are they getting a good education? meena excelled in public school

before starting home-schooling four years ago. she studies totally on her own with the help of a curriculum for home-schoolers. it takes discipline, she says, but she feels she's doing even better here than she did in public school. >> i think i'm getting a very good education. i can go at my own pace, so if i understand something i can go ahead, but if i don't understand something i can slow down on it and review it and go over it again and get help if i need to. >> reporter: it is a glowing picture, but some educators feel that children are better served in a school setting. at the university of maryland, where she helps train teachers, melanie killen worries that home-schoolers can be sheltered and miss the benefits of rubbing shoulders with different kinds of students. >> peer relationships are very different from sibling relationships. this is where you learn how to share, negotiate, how you learn how to resolve conflicts. there's a whole host of very

important, fundamental building bricks and blocks for how we become members of a culture that come out of the peer interaction. >> reporter: muslim parents who home-school understand the criticism and go to great lengths, they say, to expose their children to outside interests. to help integrate their kids into the culture, the khans and jakas go to scouting events, to classes at museums and interfaith meetings. exposed to different faiths, they also bring their faith to others. here, they're not only part of the mainstream culture, they are totally caught up in it. >> today, i got my car checked in, and i also got a patch and i watched a lot of cars go down. it was really cool. >> reporter: activities like this, say muslim home-schooling parents, show that their kids are not cloistered.

>> it's important to us, again, to make sure that, you know, the children get to know people and that they're not sheltered, that they intermingle with people and they get to know the larger society. >> we aren't looking to run away from the world and draw the blinds and shut everything and everyone out, living in our own little utopia. what we're looking to do, especially with our children, is to be out there, to get to know our neighbors. >> reporter: while each of these families says they have experienced prejudice, they insist prejudice was not a factor in deciding to home- school. but prejudice, say educators, can be subtle. >> these are muslim families living in a predominantly non- muslim area. you have different conventions, dress, dietary practices and all that, but there's also implicit forms of prejudice that people experience and oftentimes don't even call it that, but they're uncomfortable. they might feel excluded. there's this level of uncomfortableness about being in

a school that's not part of their own culture and religion. >> reporter: another pitfall: while priscilla and zakia are both dedicated and smart, neither was trained as a teacher. >> you need training in terms of how to be a teacher. you're managing a classroom of children, you're figuring out how to do this, but you're also aware of social development and children's social, cognitive development, their biological development. these are all things that they need to know about. >> reporter: to make sure home- schoolers are making progress, virginia requires they meet certain requirements by taking a test, by interviewing with a certified teacher or handing in a portfolio of their work. muslim home-schooling is still a small movement, but those who spend hours on the front lines are not crippled by any doubt. >> our goal is basically to bring up our children who are contributing citizens, who feel that they can and should give

back to the world and ultimately to grow up in peace and be able to live a fulfilling life. >> reporter: as a sign in her living room reads, "home is where your story begins," here where the alphabet, arithmetic and allah meet. for "religion and ethics newsweekly," this is bob faw in loudoun county, virginia. >> abernethy: the state of virginia does not give home- schooled children a high school diploma, but children can qualify for its equivalent by taking accredited correspondence courses or the g.e.d. >> abernethy: civil rights leader dorothy height has died. she was 98. height led the national council of negro women for four decades and was also an advocate for international human rights. finally, we have a special report from our managing editor, kim lawton.

since january, kim has done several reports about faith- based relief efforts after haiti's devastating earthquake. for kim, the story had a personal dimension. her grandparents, wesley and june churchill, were missionaries in haiti for more than 20 years. on kim's trip to haiti last month, she visited the mission they helped establish. >> reporter: nestled among all the family photos at my grandparents' home are other memories as well, art and gifts that symbolize their decades of work as missionaries in haiti. i made a scrapbook for you of my trip. wesley and june churchill are in their 90s now but still feel as connected to haiti as they were more than 30 years ago, when they first went there. my grandfather was a high school science teacher. as a united methodist, he believed he was called to help

others, so, during breaks from school, he did various service projects. in the 1970s, he connected with a group of men who were drilling wells for clean water in haiti. after grandpa retired from teaching, he and grandma decided to work more long-term there. they joined with a small group of other christians to establish the nondenominational haiti gospel mission in despinos, a village about 45 minutes outside port-au-prince. they began a variety of projects, including a church, a school and a medical clinic. my grandparents worked in haiti until 1997, when grandpa turned 80. a young missionary couple, april and joel hess, now lead the work in despinos. when i was a teenager, my grandparents brought me there to visit. it was clear i wn't cut out for missionary life. >> i can remember you going into your bedroom and a squeal came, "grandpa, there's a dead mouse in my shoe." i remember that very vividly. >> grandpa took care of it. >> reporter: i returned to haiti

last month not as a missionary, but a reporter covering the aftermath of the earthquake, and i went to despinos to see what was happening at the missiongy today. i brought back some video to show my grandparents. >> is that renol? >> that's renol. >> reporter: at the compound, renol, who worked with my grandparents in the 1970s, still takes care of the grounds and helps keep things going. >> renol used to ride into port- au-prince with grandpa. he'd always say to me, "mama, i guarde papa, i guarde papa." and he did. he'd have a big club with him. >> reporter: renol showed me the changes to the mission house. the house sustained only slight damage during the earthquake, including some cracks on the roof, and a small part of the compound walls came down. renol told me all about my grandpa's influence on the mission in big ways and small.

>> the big tree, brother churchill liked it. >> reporter: brother churchill liked the big tree. >> yeah, long time he wanted to keep it. >> reporter: he wanted to keep the tree. just up the road from the house is the haiti gospel mission church. pastor elison bien-aime showed me the moderate damage there, most at the front of the building. the church has now raised enough money not only to repair the damage but to add some columns to strengthen the building and an archway to make a more attractive entrance. pastor elison praised the construction work of my grandpa and another missionary, melvin barger. >> brother churchill and brother barger did a good job. >> reporter: i will tell my grandfather you said he did a good job. >> exactly. he is a good engineer. >> reporter: because the church stands. >> yeah. >> reporter: elison grew up around the mission and was active in the church even as a boy. >> he was always polite and a really nice boy. for a boy from out there to go to school and go to seminary,

he's done well. >> reporter: elison told me he believed the earthquake has actually strengthened people's faith in god. he said the church has been full every sunday since. it was certainly full on this sunday, when he called me up front to bring greetings from my family. my grandfather is 94 years old. after the earthquake, he said, "i want to go back to help them." i think he will help you with his prayers. elison told me my grandparents that's my grandma and grandpa today. >> i'm very happy to see them. >> reporter: he's 94, and she's 91. >> these are two monuments. >> reporter: two monuments. at the haiti gospel mission satellite church in leogane, pastor gilles pierre was also moved at seeing a current photo of my grandparents. >> ever since we established the church in leogane, he was with us. >> reporter: he's been there a long time. >> he's the only pastor that's been at that church.

>> reporter: the church here didn't fare very well. the building, as well as the parsonage and the school, were severely damaged. pastor gilles barely escaped. it just came down on your head. >> god saved me. >> reporter: god saw you? >> reporter: god saved you. >> oui. >> reporter: leogane was near the epicenter of the quake, and about 80% of the town was destroyed. pastor gilles took me through a cornfield to show me the destruction at his wife's family's home. most of his congregation members have lost everything. he hopes to rebuild, but for now he worries about surviving day- to-day. the church has moved the worship services to a large tent donated by u.s. churches. it's difficult for my grandparents to hear such stories about their friends. >> it is so sad because the poor

people had nothing to begin with hardly, and now they... >> reporter: but there were happy stories, too. after my appearance at church, old friends came to say hello. some remembered when i had come before; others wanted to meet the churchills' granddaughter, or, as they called me, "petite- petite fille churchill." as word of my visit spread, one old friend drove in from port- au-prince to see me. >> it's my friend. >> reporter: yeah, from a long time ago. >> that is. that is bouchard. we've known him since he was a little boy. yeah, that's bouchard. >> reporter: the clinic my grandparents helped build is now thriving. there are two nurses on staff and a doctor who comes in every day, monday through friday. they see up to 20 patients a day. there's a large, well-supplied pharmacy, and the supervisor of the clinic, who also grew up at the mission, tells me that in the back room they still plan on fulfilling my grandpa's dream of setting up a laboratory.

>> that was grandpa's goal, to get that finished. >> reporter: immediately after the earthquake, injured people flooded to the clinic from miles away seeking medical treatment, and many patients are still getting follow-up treatment. >> i'm sure the clinic was supposed to be there for this purpose. >> reporter: when i was there, haitian schools had not yet reopened, so patients whose homes had been destroyed were living in the school. one was this woman, whose hand had to be amputated. another was this girl, whose leg was injured. before the quake, the school had 255 students ages three to 15. the principal is dalce jean augmanois. he told me, "the churchills did a good work, because without them, we would have no clinic or school or church. because of them, the children will grow up here and be able to work." jeemps pierre is a bible school student who lives at the mission and helps out. he never knew my grandparents

but says he's impressed by the americans who continue to come there to work. >> sometimes there is no power, sometimes there is no water, sometimes it's very, very hot, and they stay here to help. and that's a good, good... a great thing. they help a lot here. this mission is very, very important for this community. >> reporter: many of the things my grandfather tried to introduce never fully caught on, like bee-keeping and breeding stronger bulls and cooking with solar energy. still, my grandparents told me they are gratified to see that work at the church, the clinic and the school continues even despite a devastating earthquake-- a testament, grandma says, to the resilience of the haitian people. it's also a testament to the work my grandparents did, the lives they touched and the legacy they left behind. i'm kim lawton in despinos, haiti.

>> abernethy: you can see the backstory of our crew's haiti trip on our web site at www.pbs.org. you can comment on our stories and forward them. audio and video podcasts of the program are also available, and you can follow us on our facebook page. i'm bob abernethy. as we leave you, a music video featuring some of gospel music's biggest names led by kirk franklin. the song, "are you listening," was recorded to raise money to help rebuild haiti.

♪ you and me, sister you and me, brother ♪ yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah ooh, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. ♪ ♪ captioning sponsored by the lilly endowment captioned by media access group at wgbh access.wgbh.org >> be more. pbs.