coming up, a successful program for teenagers about sex, self-image, bullying and the other tough issues they face. >> i'm very real to the point of being pretty blunt about what i say, but kids respect that. and the american buddhist monk the dalai lama has chosen to be a bridge between east and west. major funding for "religion & ethics newsweekly" is provided by the lilly endowment, an indianapolis based private family foundation, dedicated to its founders and christian religion, community development and education. additional funding provided by mutual of america, designing

customized, individual and group retirement product. that's why we're your retirement company. the estate of william j. carter. the jane henson foundation and corporation for public broadcasting. welcome, i'm bob abernethy. it's good to have you with us. a key meeting at the vatican this week between church officials and the umbrella group representing the majority of american catholic nuns. in april, the vatican accused the leadership conference of women religious of having serious doctrinal problems and ordered the group to place itself under the authority of seattle's archbishop. the leadership conference said the vatican's assessment was "flawed." conference representatives said this week's meeting produced an honest discussion. >> we are grateful for the opportunity for an open dialogue, and we will -- the next step will be that we'll go to our members to decide how to proceed from here.

>> the vatican asserted that the nuns' group "remains under the supreme direction of the holy see." here at home, many catholics continue to show their support for the nuns. in atlanta, one group held a rally and prayer vigil outside the hotel where the u.s. bishops were holding their annual spring meeting. they delivered a petition with more than 57,000 signatures, one for every nun in the country, urging the bishops to stand up for the sisters. >> considering so many bishops work alongside women they know their great works, they know their works of justice, many of them were educated by these sisters. there's really no reason they shouldn't be speaking out in outrage against this mandate along with us. >> the petition was accepted by the bishop's representative, sister mary ann walsh. meanwhile inside the meeting, the bishops discussed policies put in place ten years ago in the wake of the clergy sex abuse crisis. >> although there was widespread agreement that their guidelines,

or charter for the protection of children have helped reduce sex abuse, the bishops were told much more needs to be done. >> we are judged not by how many good and careful things we've done. we often are judged by the fact that there are still noncompliance issues, there are still situations where the charter has not been implemented properly and rigorously. >> the topic of religious liberty was also high on the bishop's agenda, as they prepare for their fortnight for freedom campaign, which begins next week and runs through the fourth of july. local congregations are being urged to speak out against what the bishops say are growing threats to religious freedom, including president obama's policy requiring insurance coverage of contraceptive services. several catholic dioceses and institutions have sued the

administration over that policy. baltimore archbishop william lori, head of the bishops' committee for religious liberty, denies these efforts are politically motivated. >> we did actually everything we could to prevent this fight from happening in the first place, so we don't feel like we chose this fight, we feel like it was chosen for us. just 'cause it was chosen for us in an election year doesn't mean we're going to be silent. several protestant groups joined catholics in a series of rallies across the country against the contraception coverage policy. also this week, nearly 150 protestant and catholic leaders sent a letter to administration officials urging that the policy's exemptions be broadened. the coalition included some who are not opposed to birth control. the leaders said they objected to the government creating what they called a two-class system,

where worship-based groups are given broader exemptions than faith-based service organizations. on capitol hill, a new coalition of conservative, moderate and liberal evangelicals issued a joint call for comprehensive immigration reform. they outlined a set of principles they believe could receive bipartisan support, even during an election year. the principles include establishing a path toward citizenship, a position not always supported by political conservatives. >> the evangelical immigration table is diverse in its formation, but it is unified in its biblically-mandated vision to help create a better life for immigrants in america. humanitarian concerns about the crisis in syria continue to mount. amnesty international released a new report describing what it called widespread, systematic

crimes against humanity by the assad regime. the group said it has evidence of massacres and torture of civilians, especially women and children. it urged stronger international action to stop the violence. meanwhile, aid groups are calling for more support to help the thousands of syrians who are fleeing and seeking asylum in neighboring countries. it's often lamented that teenagers all over the country face tough, often taboo, potentially life-changing issues without enough help from parents, teachers, doctors or other adults. but we have a story today about a privately run program in the cincinnati area that mixes plain truth with hilarious presentation and seems to be giving a lot of kids just what they want and need. judy valente reports. >> meet russell proctor, better

known as r.p., an engaging 26-year-old self-described ginger head who could have been a stand-up comic. >> no stupid, stupid, stupid. but the topics he'll discuss with these ninth graders over the next five days are serious -- what it means to be a man, the value of monogamous relationships, the danger of sexually transmitted diseases, how to avoid bad dating relationships, how to grow in self-esteem and treat others with respect. healthy visions is based on the premise that teens can learn schools to help them connect with consequences. counselors or presenters talk frankly about sex, stds, date rape, bullying and teen suicide,

topics many public school teachers feel ill-equipped to address. carole adlard began healthy visions as a counseling program for pregnant teens, but quickly realized students needed more. >> one of the facts that broke my heart was seeing so many students who felt hopeless. they were in bad home situations, they were being bullied in schools, they had been sexually abused. you could see the lack of light in their eyes, and we wanted to offer them hope. >> day one, i talk about healthy self-image. with girls, it's much more about body image -- hey, listen, you don't have to be a size two. you're a beautiful girl no matter what size you are, no matter how much make-up you wear. and then i try to teach the guys what it means to be a man, because our society kind of teaches, okay, men need to hook up with girls, men need to drink. day two, we talk about facebook, technology, cell phones, how to be smart with that stuff. day three, we talk about sex, the physical side, how people are connected, how stds spread, kind of the nuts and bolts of sex. day four, we talk about healthy dating relationships. and then day five, we talk about the emotional side of sex, like

what's going to happen inside. and then i wrap up with what are you going to do with this information? i'm very real to the point of being pretty blunt about what i say, but kids respect that. what is sex? are she and i having sex right now? >> proctor is especially frank also about his own struggles. >> i got made fun of a lot, very depressed, suicidal thoughts a lot. i can feel that tense high school feeling all over again, and i can just relate to these kids on that level, because i've lived through it and have never forgotten that. >> proctor says he drank heavily in high school and was into the sexual hook-up culture. those experiences left him numb. he tells students he is in a serious relationship now and that he and his girlfriend have decided to wait until they are married to have sex. >> i can tell stories about hey, i've been waiting for this long, this many years for sex. and they go, oh, okay.

and i treat my girlfriend like this. oh, okay, i believe him. oh, okay, and when kids see you buying into it, they buy into it, too. >> the guys from healthy visions have been a blessing to us. they really reach kids in a way that, as a teacher, i'm not able to. they're younger and the kids relate to them better. and long after they're gone they continue to come up in the kids' conversations and writings. >> no definitive study has been done to measure healthy visions' impact. but the organization recently surveyed 164 students who had completed its classes. 95% said it changed the way they look at relationships and sex. 77% said it improved their self-esteem, and 64% said it made them more aware of the dangers of alcohol and drugs. >> like i don't really care what other people say.

i feel i'm beautiful in my own way. i think it really, like it opened a new door for me. >> it changed how you should act in relationships, and how you shouldn't act, and what's healthy and what's not healthy. like, to try and be controlling and stuff, that's unhealthy. >> some teachers, they just have that voice that you don't want to listen to sometimes. and i mean, when r.p. comes into class and he, you know, puts his leg up on the table and starts, you know, talking about how he's like a ginger and all of his family stuff in the first five minutes of class, i think it just hooks everybody in to want to listen to him. >> emily kozel is a sophomore in suburban milford, ohio. she wrote this letter to r.p. after he helped her cope with bullies at school. >> before he came along, i had very low self-esteem. i always thought that i was considered a piece of junk. he has taught me to understand that i am beautiful just the way i am, no matter what i look like. he helped me to overcome being bullied and helped me to realize that i need to help those close to me. >> after taking healthy vision classes, allison herndon, a

tenth grader from kings mills, ohio, started a facebook support page for girls called "beauty within." >> a lot of people have problems at home, so they write about that. insecurity is a big thing on there. people write about how they don't feel pretty, and they have a hard time adjusting to it, and they think that other people don't like them. >> first time i sat in on a healthy visions presentation in health class, i thought, "holy cow. i don't know how this is going to go over." not one -- not one complaint from teachers, parents or students. >> sex. sex. sex. sex. >> for me as a parent, i'm bombarded. i constantly feel like i'm alone in my messaging to the kids, you know, about chastity and waiting and all the dangers of the culture today. and i finally felt like i had back up. >> some people would say this kind of thing doesn't really belong in the public schools. this is the role of the parent. this is the role of the family. >> well, they have sex ed in the public schools already, and in my opinion they're pushing sex

down the throats of children whether or not the parents like it or not. why can't they get a counterbalance and have chastity, you know, promote abstinence? >> how can you show that you're not pushing any particular religion or religious belief? >> what we're teaching is the basic human premise that you're created, that you're valuable, that you're lovable, and that you have a purpose. that's what we teach. and those are intrinsic to our humanity. >> i'm taking the message of jesus to people. i just can't mention his name. so like, when i talk about, hey, you're forgiven for your past and i don't hold any of it against you, for a lot of kids, that's a new message, but that's actually an old message. that's a jesus message. >> how many of you wish there was a reset button in life? by show of hands. that's what i'm inviting you to do. hit the reset button. no one cares how the story starts. all they care is how is it going to finish. >> once classes are over, students can keep in touch with r.p. and other healthy visions staff through facebook. cases involving abuse or more

serious psychological problems are referred to professional counselors. how do you find the inner strength to do this work week after week? >> like sometimes on a monday, it will be hard for me. i'll think, "man, another week, this is going to be intense," but then you watch as the week goes on and this kid who starts out as a lump of clay, who thinks maybe i'm not that pretty, maybe i'm not that valuable, and then you watch as the week goes on, and they just blossom. every time i see that, that's why i do this job. ♪ i am beautiful ♪ in every single way ♪ your words can't bring me down ♪ >> proctor and the healthy visions staff are at work on a curriculum guide that can be downloaded online. they hope to one day spread their message of healthy choices to high schools across the country. for "religion & ethics newsweekly," this is judy valente in cincinnati. ♪ don't you bring me down today ♪

next month, an american buddhist monk, nicholas vreeland, will be installed as abbot of rato monastery in india, one of the most important monasteries in tibetan buddhism. it will be the first time a westerner has held such a position. the 58-year-old vreeland comes from a prominent american family. kim lawton talked to him about his path to buddhism and his mandate from the dalai lama. >> during a special reception in new york, guests are paying their respects to the venerable nicholas vreeland, or as many here still call him, nicky. the dalai lama has given vreeland an historic task -- as the first westerner appointed abbot of a tibetan buddhist monastery, he's to be a bridge between east and west. >> his holiness wishes to bring western ideas into the tibetan buddhist monastic system, and

that comes from his recognition that it is essential that there be new ideas brought in, that there be new air brought into these institutions. >> for many observers, it may be surprising that an american has been given this important role, and perhaps even more surprising given the background of this particular american. vreeland had a privileged upbringing. his father was a u.s. diplomat and his grandmother was fashion icon diana vreeland. he was a photographer who had worked in some of the top studios. and then in his 20s, he began exploring tibetan buddhism. >> what is it about tibetan buddhism that interested me? i think that it's this very linear, very carefully organized, path to enlightenment that i liked. >> vreeland sees a linear progression in his own path into buddhism. he was born in switzerland and also lived in germany and morocco before his family

returned to new york. they were episcopalian and sent 13-year-old nicky to a boys' boarding school in massachusetts. he was miserable there until he discovered photography. >> i don't know what it was about it that caught me. i really don't know. but it caught me. >> vreeland says he had a good relationship with his famous grandmother, diana, the legendary editor of "vogue" magazine. >> i went to nyu to study film, and at that time initially lived with her and became very close. she was a wonderful, enthusiastic friend. >> she opened the door for him to work with prominent photographers irving penn and richard avedon. >> in my role in the studios of these photographers, i was the assistant. i was the student. i was the devotee, as it were. it is the relationship that i have with my teacher now. >> it was richard avedon's son

john who in 1977 first introduced vreeland to khyongla rato rinpoche, founder of the tibet center. under rinpoche's supervision, vreeland began learning about tibetan buddhism. >> then in 1979, he went on a photography assignment in india. because of his growing interest in tibetan buddhism, he included a visit to dharamsala, headquarters of the dalai lama. vreeland received permission to photograph the tibetan leader. his camera had an extremely slow exposure, so his subjects had to sit absolutely still for one minute. that was a challenge for the dalai lama. >> the shutter opened and we waited 10 seconds, 20 seconds, 30 seconds, 40 seconds, 50 seconds, and then his holiness started to move. and we did one time after another after another, and suddenly after all these attempts to get a fully -- a properly exposed shot, we both

burst into laughter, and it was as if all the tension went. >> the dalai lama tried standing, and they finally managed to get the shot. >> his holiness very, very kindly remained there as i packed up my equipment and talked to me. and i had been so moved by the way in which the tibetan people had supported me, had helped me in my travels and during my time in dharamsala, and i asked his holiness what i could do in return. and he said, "study." >> vreeland took that advice to heart, and with the help of his teacher, explored the tibetan buddhist concept that logic clears the mind and facilitates meditation, which then can lead to developing compassion and attaining enlightenment. >> if the ultimate goal is the full enlightenment of a buddha, a buddha who is omniscient, that's the ultimate state of awakenness. all the steps that lead to that are little awakenings.

>> in 1985, vreeland decided to become a buddhist monk. i asked him how his grandmother took the news. >> she was definitely concerned. she was not a big proponent of following a spiritual life. and so for a grandson to wish to become a monk was not something she was too happy about. >> but she came to accept it? >> well, yes. she was always wonderful about showing her support for whatever i decided to do. >> vreeland pursued his monastic studies at rato monastery in south india, the monastery that he will now lead. rato was established in tibet in the late 14th century to preserve buddhist teachings on logic and debate.

after the chinese takeover of tibet, rato was reestablished in india. when vreeland arrived in 1985, there were 27 monks. today, there are about 100 between the ages of 6 and 90. the monastery undertook a massive construction project, which was largely funded through the sale of vreeland's photographs. he raised $400,000 with a special series of photos documenting life in and around the monastery. this 2002 photo of the dalai lama was taken in rato's debating court. over the years, vreeland has collaborated closely with the tibetan leader. >> his holiness is practical, down to earth. it was those two qualities that i felt the moment that he walked into the room the first time i met him. and they were a surprise. i mean, i think in the west we have a view of holiness as being sort of ethereal, and this person was not that. >> he says the dalai lama hasn't

gotten any more patient in posing for photos. >> many years ago, when i photographed his holiness, i was using the large view camera. and after a few sheets of film, his holiness said, "so, okay?" and i said, "well, not quite." and he said, "we must be content with what we have." and he left. >> as abbot of rato, vreeland will have administrative and spiritual responsibility for the monastery and its monks. he'll also interact with abbots of the other tibetan monasteries. and it's here that the dalai lama has instructed him to help incorporate more western ideas. >> these institutions, if they aren't contemporary won't have any relevance. now, of course, one has to be very careful. if you go too far, you dilute what they do possess and you've lost everything. >> vreeland will divide his time between india and new york,

where he'll continue as director of the tibet center, which helps promote tibetan buddhism in the west. >> i am a human being, i'm a buddhist monk, i am a westerner, and how i will bring what i believe in and what i have been, let's say formed in, trained in? i think it's by just living my life. >> he's well aware of the challenges he faces. >> your only influence on the rest of the world is the work that you do on yourself, and this is an opportunity to do just that in respect to my monastic community. >> as for his photography, he says in the new digital world, he finds it challenging to maintain an attitude of mindfulness as he takes pictures. >> i wish it were easier to give it all up. i tried hard. but i'm still taking photographs, and whether the

abbot is going to be able to go out and take pictures, i don't know. i shall see. >> i'm kim lawton in new york. a landmark southern california megachurch has a new name. the crystal cathedral will now be known as christ cathedral. the name change was announced by the local catholic diocese that bought the building and its grounds after crystal cathedral declared bankruptcy. finally, on our calendar this weekend, muslims observe lailat al miraj, when they believe the prophet mohammed traveled from mecca to jerusalem in a single night, then ascended to heaven temporarily where he met with allah and received the command that muslims pray five times a day. that's our program for now. i'm bob abernethy. you can follow us on twitter and facebook, find us on youtube, and watch us anytime, anywhere on smart phones.

there's also much more on our website. you can comment on all of our stories and share them. audio and video podcasts are also available. join us at pbs.org. as we leave you, music from franklin avenue baptist church in new orleans. next week, its pastor, fred luter, is expected to be elected the first african-american president of the southern baptist convention. ♪ love him with all your heart ♪ love him with all your mind ♪ love him with all your soul ♪ i want to know ♪ i want to know ♪ if you love the lord

♪ really love the lord ♪ really love the lord hallelujah ♪ major funding for "religion & ethics newsweekly" is provided by lilly endowment, an indianapolis based private foundation dedicated to its founders interests in religion, dedicated to education. additional funding provided by mutual of america, designing customized, individual and group retirement products. that's why we're your retirement company. the estate of william j. carter. the jane henson foundation. and the corporation for public broadcasting.