tonight, new questions are being raised about a power struggle inside the vatican, and the surprising role pope benedict may have played. >>> plus, apple magic. ipad mania has gripped the globe, and all eyes are scarily on the next big thing. tonight, we get an exclusive sneak peek. so, is apple the smartest company in america? >>> and, the palin effect. where she goes, crowds and controversy often follow. and soon, cameras will, too. from fox to discovery, sarah palin is everywhere. is this a new path to the white house? >> announcer: from the global resources of abc news, with terry moran, martin bashir and cynthia mcfadden in new york city, this is "nightline," march 31st, 2010. >> good evening. we begin tonight with renewed controversy facing the catholic church. no pope has resigned his position since the 15th century. but if some critics have their way, that's exactly what the pope would do. this holy week has seen him defending the vatican and himself against allegations that he knew about and failed to act on sexual abuse by priests years ago. but in one major scandal, his rol

the vatican has accepted this is the pope's the signature. the vatican faces a crisis of global proportions and one is not able to solve by itself. there is evidence tonight that pope benedict will soon impose far reaching rules, forcing every national catholic church in the world to take radical steps taken by the church in england and wales, meaning a zero tolerance policy, including suspending priests accused of abuse, reporting them to the police, and rapidly defrocking those found guilty. from the vatican suggest a change in policy. >> the vatican is saying to the whole church, wherever it is, you have to make sure that the civil authorities are brought in at the earliest stage. there is no excuse anymore for dealing with anything behind closed doors. >> the pope's own at spokesman told catholic churches today that the only way they would regain trust was to end the secrecy and report all abuse to the police. this person who was assaulted by a priest as a child said the vatican cannot solve the crisis without addressing past abuse. >> to

the vatican insists the pope is simply a victim of a smear campaign. some catholics are now demanding the pope reveal what he knew and when. meanwhile, the vatican announced today the pope is willing to have meetings with more abuse victims to "help them seek peace." ben tracy, cbs news, los angeles >> couric: meanwhile, in west virginia, hope is turning to despair. the fate of four missing miners remains uncertain tonight as once again dangerous conditions inside the mine forced rescue teams to turn back. national correspondent jim axelrod is in montcoal, west virginia. jim, it's been more than four days since this explosion. where does the rescue operation stand now? >> reporter: katie, for the third time in two days rescue teams are back inside the mine, although it is clear to say with every passing hour chances grow slimmer for a miracle in west virginia. the funerals started today in west virginia. 61-year-old benny willingham was among the first laid to rest. his army buddies flew here from california to say good-bye. they used to ask their pal

analyst politi, "it should open up all the case files from the ratzinger era." >> if the vatican doesn't open its archives there could be revelations that could damage directly cardinal ratzinger over what happened in the '80s. >> warner: though the former cardinal-turned pope is showing his 83 years. aides insist he's holding up remarkably well under the strain of this crisis. but back across town, college rector strange finds that hard to believe. >> to find that he has been given a life sentence-- a death sentence really-- to be pope for the rest of his life, and then have to deal with these complex demanding personal pastoral issues, that's an enormous burden to lay on somebody. having given such service to the church and to find himself carrying this cross, it's a real crucifixion at 83 years of age. >> warner: the heaviest weight of that cross may be the impact of the crisis on the church's future-- the trust of young people, especially in europe and countries like the popes native germany. it's well documented that future was already shaky in europe. outside santa maria in

i talked to the lawyer for the vatican in the u.s.today, jeffrey lynna and he said, you know, that is a fundamental misunderstanding of the power relationship between the pope and the bishops on administrative matters. whatever the truth, wherever the truth lies on that, i did speak to the pope's spokesman and in terms of just explaining to the public what it means, i asked him well why did the pope say what he said on wednesday which was much ballyhooed in the united states as a major step forward. and he said oh, well, the pope always reports on his recent trips and he was reporting on his trip to malta. so so far it's fair to say the vatican has not expanded on what the pope meant or what he intends. >> and just briefly, margaret, what about, it's early in your visit, but what about the atmosphere, do you get the sense from people you talked to that they feel embattled? how emotionally charged is it. >> they feel very embattled. we went today to a press conference for lawyers for some abuse victims here in a parish church in rome w

the vatican denies any wrong doing, but some clergy worry the defensive and defiant tone of the vatican could hurt the institution and turn people away. >> are walking away from the church in droves and the vatican is in denial about this. >> reporter: this letter from 1963 was among several hundred pages of documentation given to the ap by attorneys for california clergy abuse victims. the documents were first made public last year after attorneys pursuing clergy abuse claims in los angeles had them unsealed. >>> topping our look at news around the nation: surveillance video shows a tennessee couple walking up to an suv, breaking in and taking out the radio. that seems like a run of the mill crime until you see the video closely. a boy and girl under the age of 12 watched the crime happen right in front of them. police have arrested the couple. >>> what are the chances? how many games have you gone to see your son or daughter play and have this happen to you? denard span hits a foul ball and sees it hit his mom right in the chest. she was treated, came back, sat in the stands. denard w

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

we get the latest from saima mohsin of dawn tv in pakistan. >> ifill: then, margaret warner looks at vatican pushback and u.s. reaction to the latest controversies roiling the catholic church. >> brown: and two technology stories. we explore apple's new i-pad and the future of personal computing. >> ifill: and spencer michels reports on the tech downturn in a place that once led the charge. silicon valley may be losing its edge. that could affect not only california but the nation. >> brown: plus, we preview a new documentary uncovering the lost stories of arabs helping jews during the holocaust. >> ifill: that's all ahead on tonight's newshour. major funding for the pbs newshour has been provided by: chevron. this is the power of human energy. the william and flora hewlett foundation, working to solve social and environmental problems at home and around the world. and with the ongoing support of these institutions and foundations. and... this program was made possible by the corporation for public broadcasting. and by contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. thank you. >> if

the vatican responded with a long statement from the cardinal lavada. an american. i'm not proud of the prepare of regard. editorial and article are deficient by any reasonable standards of fairness that americaners have every right and expectation to find in the media report. i asked the times to reconsider the attack mode against pope the 16th and give the world a more balanced view of a leader it can and should count on on maureen dowd, entitled should there be an inquisition for the pope m? an article in the news week called the bad shepherd. all right, cal. did the new york times, did news week, did maureen dowd, did this go too far? >> they weren't the only catholics writing about this. peggy noonen in saturday's wall street journal she praised the new york times in this case and some others, the immediate kra do a good job of forcing the catholic church, political or religious to confront some of its inner darkness. i thought larry goodstein's piece was well researched and this is in a newspaper openly hostile to what the catholic church stands for. it's a pr

now the vatican's attorney in the united states in a statement tonight says that the vatican has cooperated with american law enforcement officials and he further says that the vatican recommended that father paul be defrocked however, his bishop in india refused to do so. brian. >> ann thompson reporting from rome. >>> a u.s. consulate in northwest pakistan was the target of at least two suicide bombings today. vehicles packed with explosives killed at least four people. they detonated at security checkpoints after failing to breach the fortified come pound. secretary of state hillary clinton says she was "outraged and deeply saddened by the attack." >>> when our broadcast continues on a monday night, the new challenge for the people of haiti, already living on the edge after that huge earthquake. killers from indiana pull it off one more time in the big game? get the facts at remax.com. it's a great place to see all the listings in thousands of cities and towns. with tax credits for buyers, low interest rates and down-to-earth prices, the dream of owning a home seems more attainable than

. >>> it is holy thursday and pope benedict xvi led the omelet at the vatican -- led the homily at the vatican. he is fighting the tide of criticism that has now touched the pope himself. >> even as new revelations surfaced in the catholic church, distant and austria,he vatican is pushing back. an article on the vatican website criticizes reports that the cardinal was to blame for the lack of action taken with regard to a priest in milwaukee, a priest accused of molesting hundreds of death was over three decades. one part of credit benedict for the current treatment of pedophile cases in the church today. >> i think the father and his money away some politicians do in spreading it liberally to buy support for himself and a religious order. >> benedict was pressured not to investigate but eventually went ahead anyway in defiance of the vatican. he bro>> he broke ranks with the pope and ordered an investigation of the priest that my questions remain over benedict's handling of the murphy case. >> what did he know and when did he know it? and what did he do about it? >> these are question

. >>> pope benedict xvi lead holy thursday observances today at the vatican. pontiff made no mention of the sexual abuse scandals swirling around the catholic church. other church officials are speaking out on his behalf fighting a tide of criticism that has now touched the pope himself. >> reporter: even as new revenuelations of abuse within the catholic church have arisen, this time in austria, the vatican is pushing back. an article posted on the vatican website criticizes reports that the cardinal was to blame of a priest accused of molesting hundreds of deaf boys over three decades. the cardinal credits benedict 2j/ the church's profile on the stance, a favorite of pope john paul ii m%:Ñhe was an accused pedophile. >> i think he used money the way some politicians do in spreading it to buy support for himself and his religious order. >> reporter: benedict was pressured not to investigate but went ahead any way in defiance of the vatican. >> he broke ranks and ordered an investigation. >> reporter: still, questions remain over benedict's handling of the mu

and the riches and wealth of the vatican in comparison to the hunger in the world?ying catholics should pay for, you know, feeding the world. i'm saying everybody should do their part and what an opportunity you have, catholic church and the vatican, to just sell a couple pieces of art or something or, you know, it's an opportunity to be a hero. and i'm not putting down religion, i'm putting down a place that is -- has enormous wealth. it's a house that's a city. the pope, could, like -- well, i could go on and on. but you know, it's not an attack on religion, it's just like, really, ultimately, what would jesus do? more than anything else. you know? what would jesus do? >> larry: are you agnostic? >> yeah, i'm agnostic. i don't know. i just don't know. i think people need religion because they need to know. they need to get their head around it. but you know, i don't know. i don't know what the answers are. i can't -- >> larry: who knows? >> are you agnostic? >> larry: i am. yes. will the sarah silverman program return for another season? we'll get the answers afte

. >>> the vatican's efforts to move on past the sexual abuse scandal has run into more trouble. an american priest calling for the pope to resign for his role in the scandal and the second highest official at the vatican decided to speak his mind about what he says is the reason priests abused children. in a report first filed yesterday abc2 news dan harris tells us the comment has only increased the controversy. >> reporter: the vatican secretary of state was apparently trying to defuse the crisis today but may instead have inflamed it when he said celibacy is not to plame for the abuse of children and homosexuality is. >> reporter: many psychologists and psychiatrists say the cardinal says there's a relationship between homosexuality and pedophilia. in to fact, studies show most pedophiles are heterosexuals. and many say it's the vatican trying to evade responsibility again. as vet can officials point the -- vatican officials point the finger at the media >> they have a whole range of excuses. it's really no problem. the media has caused the problem, now it's a sexual thing ca

the vatican believes the pope has no case to answer. he is part of the cleanup, not the cover-up. >> the pace of diplomacy is intensifying and so is the pressure on iran. the u.s. president would like to enlist a unified international community to stop iranian nuclear ambitions. he was speaking in an interview after a rare one hour phone call with the chinese president, hu jintao. >> he is trying to win chinese support for tougher sanctions. >> president barack obama made clear to iran that the pressure will continue. >> we don't take any options off the table and we will continue to increase the pressure and examine how they respond. we will do so with a unified international community. >> the tough words are not new but washington has new reasons to sound confident in its desire>> we see a growing awareness on the part of many countries including china as to the consequences of a nuclear armed iran to regional and global stability and to the oil supply. we think that there will be a consensus reached as to the best way forward. >> sen

the vatican newspaper paid tribute to the band on the 40th anniversary of its breakup. the vatican says it's true the band took drug, lived dissole lat lives and claimed they were more families than jesus, but listening to their songs, all of that seems very distant. >>> another cbs "moneywatch," there was profit taking in asia this morning and emily smith is here in new york with that and more. emily, good morning. >> reporter: good morning. well, most asian markets fell came on concerns the global economic recovery may not be able to hold. the nikkei lost about 1%. today wall street gets an earnings report from chip maker intel. monday the dow gainedle points to close above 11,000 for the first time in a year and a half. the nasdaq was up 3 and change. a bill to restore benefits to the long term unemployed 45s advanced in the senate after several republicans joined democrats to end a filibuster. both parties blame each other for allowing the program tos lapse last week. unless it passes, about a million americans will lose their benefits this month alone. >>> presiden

the vatican newspaper is addressing the controversy. a vile defamation campaign against him. karen brown, wjz eyewitness news. >>> pope benedict has not made any explicit reference to the scandal since march 20th when he released a letter to the irish faithful considering the abuse crisis in that country. >> in maryland news, police make an arrest in the city's first homicide of the year. 32-year-old kim daifsd was found stabbed to death friday afternoon. police say 38-year-old raidine lee faces first and second- degree murder charges in her death. they do believe this was a random crime. >>> in baltimore city, police are investigating a saturday morning shooting. it happened at the intersection of manchester, edgemere avenues in park heights. police say a man suffered a gunshot wound and was rushed to the hospital at last check, the victim was in serious condition. detectives have not released any information on a possible suspect. >>> the pentagon station is reopen following a bomb threat and suspicious package. officials say the stat

. >>> plus, the vatican is taking on sex abuse in the church. stay with us.  >>> some parents spank their kids to teach them right from wrong, but a new study shows that could backfire. they looked at data on 2500 children. the research found those who are spanked more frequently at 3 years old were more likely to be aggressive at 5 years old. it is strong predictor of future aggressive behavior. >>> hospitals are cracking down on hand washing. they're using sensors. we report. >> reporter: nurses and doctors at the university of florida medical center are getting warned if they get to close to patients without washing their hands. they must wear electronic badges warning if they don't sanitize. >> it really made you more conscious of how often we don't wash our hands. the little buzz to remind you when you walk in. >> reporter: the system detects soap and hand gels. not enough sanitizer and the system buzzes until that person washes thoroughly gets a green light and then -- cares for the patient. >> i think it probably brings

later, the vatican said that was not the official position of the church. and afghan president hamid karzai spoke to secretary of state clinton by phone. an aide said karzai was misunderstood yesterday when he blamed election fraud on foreigners. the newshour is always online. kwame holman, in our newsroom, previews what's there. kwame. >> holman: mark and david continue their conversation. then, it's not just florida having trouble paying jobless benefits. we talked to a reporter from pro publica about other states' stretched for funds. a look at the shifting political situation in sudan, as the country prepares for its first multi-party elections in 24 years. and on "art beat," a conversation with actor alfred molina about playing artist mark rothko on broadway, and a scene from the play "red." all that and more is on our web site, newshour.pbs.org. >> lehrer: and again to our honor roll of american service personnel killed in the iraq and afghanistan conflicts. we add them as their deaths are made official and photographs become available. here, in silen

. >>> the vatican made another move to try to get ahead of the child abuse scandal. an acknowledgement that priests who commit such acts should be accountable under the law. the story from ann thompson. >> reporter: the church states for the first time that every case by sexual abuse by priest should be reported by police anywhere in the world. something u.s. church officials have had to do since 2002. the guidelines require local diocese to investigate every allegation of sexual abuse of a minor by a cleric. in cases where a priest has been convicted of sexual abuse of a minor or the evidence is overwhelming, the case can be taken directly to the pope and he can dismiss the priest. the vatican says reporting crimes to the police has been its internal policy since 2003. but now it is clearly bowing to pressure says this papal biographer. >> they must be quick in answering the issues, to be very transparent in his policy and also to give exact figures. >> reporter: the vatican has been under siege as charges of sexual abuse by clergy swept europe in recent weeks. call

we will head to the vatican where a controversial statement by a priest responding to the sexual abuse scandal has responded an angry reaction from jewish leaders. tiger woods is about to return to golf. there are new allegations this morning about his affair. we will have the latest. a reunion you will not soon forget as a soldier returns from iraq and the children get the surprise of their lives. imagine you are paddling your surfboard and in the ocean. look at what follows you around for hours. for hours. from every john deere that's come before it. and it's available with 133 easy-to-install attachments, including the most popular one of all. ♪ >> sad news for the baltimore orioles as they lose one of the hall of famers and one of their graves. miguel succumbing to cancer at the age of 72. he grew into a star. he had a devastating screwball. the first latin american ever to win that honor. he was a top pitcher in the league. that picture. clenching the 1970 world series. wrapping up the word portion of the yankees. -- down 4-2, making a comeback. this game's end in a 6-6 tie. in an

but yet the priests by the time it got to the vatican, the priests was dying. prosecutors h hadn't gone after him. there was no reason for the pope to step in. it would have been better to defrock him, which they didn't do. the catholic church survived the reformation and they'll survive this scandal. >> chris: i don't think anybody thinks the catholic church -- >> the catholic church, the center for christian orthodox. >> chris: i understand. i don't think anybody thinks it's about to crumble but the question is what does it do as the father said to moral authority of the church, what does it do to this pope? to be specific about the milwaukee case, there was a church trial of this priest. the victims wanted him to be defrocked. he wrote a letter to the office of the pope and then the trial was canceled. there was also a case with a priest when he was the archdiocese of munich. it gets to the doorstep of the pope if not in m his office. >> there are current questions about the current pope involvement in the father murphy scandal with the deaf boys and there a

. >> the vatican responds to the clergy sex abuse scandal. tonight you will hear from a woman who claims she was abused and that nothing was done. >>> and nobody can be fully prepared for something like this. which will help to make sure are you ready when disaster strikes. . >> and you are looking at the numbers from today. up to 71 but much cooler air on the way tomorrow. we will have it for you. [wind rustling] [sound of waves crashing] [upbeat whistling in background] discover all that northwest florida has to offer. seventeen hidden beaches, one revealing destination. . >>> the catholic church tonight has made a major concession to critics who charge it's not dealt seriously with clergy who molest children. for the first time the vatican has ordered catholic officials to report allegations of sexual abuse to the proper authorities. the rule which they say is not new was posted today on the website. the move comes in the middle of more troubling revelations of past misconduct. >> the pope needs to step down. many are on a rainy day an all

first time that the pope has met with abuse victims since a worldwide sex abuse scandal engulfed the vatican earlier this year. >>> nbc news has learned that later this morning toyota is expected to sign paperwork for agreeing to the largest government penalty ever against an ought maker relating to its sticking gas pedal recall. according to a department of transportation official, by paying the record $16.4 million fine, the maximum allowed by law, toyota is accepting responsibility for hiding the safety defect. the japanese automaker is expect ed to pay the penalty before to avoid going to court. while toyota is not expected to admit to any specific wrongdoing. paying the fine will not release toyota from civil or criminal actions. >>> and now here's a look at some other stories making news today early today in america. new york police are asking for the public's help in identifying four young women who stole nearly 4,000 dollar in lingerie. two of the women distracted a store clerk while the others stuffed merchandise into their shopping bags. employees describe the suspects as young, po

breaking news from the vatican on the handling of sex abuse cases. up on the new directive to priests and bishops. >> reporter: yes. this is an attempt to quell the whole response to the sex abuse crisis. this was a guide posted on the websites. it notes local bishops investigate every allegation of sexual abuse by a cleric and report those allegations that have a semblance of truth to the vatican congregation. they insist this has always been the policy but this new guidance makes public for the first time this explicit policy of reporting abuse to law enforcement. you know, critics have accused the vatican, of course, of foot dragging in handling so many cases of sexual abuse by priests, some of which are decades old and in some cases accusing the vatican of taking years to defrock priests while this church's internal appeals process dragged on and on, sometimes moving priests to other jurisdictions and other diocese where they continue to go on abusing. so this will go some distance, i suppose, to appeasing those critics. contessa. >> do not anna,

the plaintiff said he wrote two letters to the vatican, reporting the abuse and asking for help. the lawsuit suggests the vatican didn't discipline murphy because he made a lot of money through fundraising for the church. >>> seeking the relief of controversial vatican files on clergy abuse operations. >>> baltimore area catholics are gathered at the cathedral of mary our queen, to honor -- mary our queen, to honor the life of archbishop borders. the public viewing continues today until 9:00. it continues tomorrow, from 9:00 a.m. to noon. the mass and christian burial will be tomorrow. he died at the age of 96. >>> there is heated testimony today from baltimore grocers and beverage companies. suzanne collins has more on the tax designed to overcome the big budget deficit. >> reporter: mayor rawlings- blake sees this as a way to raise revenue. but she is hearing from the companies that make and sell bottled soda, water and beer. >> reporter: a can of cola will cost 4 cents more, if the city approves a beverage container tax. and it's brought big opposition. >> the timing could not

does the vatican know how deep the trouble it's in? new poll out that shows the pope, you don't usually poll the pope. but he's down 20 points among everybody. your thoughts? their thoughts? >> yeah, and it's not -- it's not just in the united states. they're seeing similar declines in germany. yes, does the vatican understand that this is a big serious issue? absolutely. does it respond in the way that we are used to having political organizations respond? or multinational corporations respond to a crisis? the answer is, absolutely not. you've got 0 remember, that this is a big bureaucracy. and italian-dominated bureaucracy. and it moves extraordinarily slowly. but i will tell you, chris, that if the vatican were to put out talking points, the first one would be this -- because i have heard this from everyone i have talked to here in vatican city since i arrived over the weekend. and that is -- that pope benedict xvi is the right man to handle this crisis. why, you ask? because they say as the head of the congregation of the doctrine

we'll be right back. ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, >>> stem cell research and the vatican isn't always on the same page. but they are looking for a specific kind of study. the university of maryland will be leading that research. >> the vatican has made its stand, no research on embryonic stem cells. but like the occasional mass in english, sometimes exceptions can be made. in this case, harvest. >> to get the stem cells from the intestine of the patient. >> what they would be cable of doing is not known. researching the value of adult stem cells. >> i'm really, really pleased to be here. representing the university of school of medicine. and our stem cell center. i know very little italian. but perhaps the best word thank you. >> the promise of stem cells is still theoretical. but they are capable of repairing organs. intestinal adult cells might be more limited. perhaps someday replacing abdominal symptoms and surgeries, used to treat ailments in that part of the body. >> reporter: the vatican has made an initial donation of almost $3 million to the university of maryland. >> one way to show tha

woodruff: tom bearden reports on american catholics reacting to the sex abuse scandals plaguing the vatican. >> reporter: here in denver some catholics feel betrayed and have left the church entirely while others believe the pope is being unfairly targeted. >> brown: we look at the merits and the fallout from fraud charges filed against goldman sachs. >> woodruff: margaret warner talks to andrew kohut about his latest poll showing mounting distrust in the government. >> brown: and we mark the 15th anniversary of the oklahoma city bombing with excerpts from today's ceremony. >> we come here to remember those who were killed, those who survived, and those changed forever. >> brown: that's all ahead on

the vatican has been struggling with growing criticism over a sex scandal. we have more from rome. >> the pope, the event is the heart of christianity. the outcry of priests who have sexually abused children has dominated the mood this friday. priests have covered it up even the pope perhaps. at today's service, one person compared the attacks on benedict to the persecution of the jews. >> we know from experience what it means to be a victim of violence. because of this, they're a quick to recognize the recurring symptoms. >> a spokesperson said that was the thought of the preacher and not the pope. it angered jewish leaders around the world. at the cathedral and in every german church, a special prayer was offered for abuse victims. in vatican city, many waited in long lines to attend service. lifelong catholics expressed frustration with the pulp. >> i think he should be more proactive and send a stronger message about how the church can make retribution for these things. >> this man says this is taking a serious toll on his own ministry. >> it affects the

woodruff: tom bearden reports on american catholics reacting to the sex abuse scandals plaguing the vatican. >> reporter: here in denver some catholics feel betrayed and have left the church entirely while others believe the pope is being unfairly targeted. >> brown: we look at the merits and the fallout from fraud charges filed against goldman sachs. >> woodruff: margaret warner talks to andrew kohut about his latest poll showing mounting distrust in the government. >> brown: and we mark the 15th anniversary of the oklahoma city bombing with excerpts from today's ceremony. >> we come here to remember those who were killed, those who survived, and those changed forever. >> brown: that's all ahead on tonight's newshour. major funding for the pbs newshour is provided by: >> will your savings be enough to fund your retirement? what will happen if your spouse outlives you by many years? what will happen if you outlive your savings? pacific life knows that tomorrow's questions require planning today. with financial solutions and strength, pacific life can help you and your financial professional

. >>> the vatican was aware of sexual abuse by priests back in the 1960's. this letter from 1963 to the head of the roman catholic order recommended removing a pedophile priest from active ministry. the letter appears to have been requested by the pope will have more on this and it live report coming up later. >>> 5:07, 53 degrees. dramatic new details about the fbi raid on a christian militia. an agent got inside. >> you try to get in there without the hip boots, you sink. >> the flood waters keep on coming. >> it will be a beautiful day if you want to take a trip to the tidal basin. the cherry blossoms are in full tidal basin. the cherry blossoms are in full bloom. >>> and a very go morning. brian van de graaff here on thursday. yesterday was 71. it gets even warmer as we look into tomorrow and the weekend. we have a range of temperatures. 40's in gaithersburg. 48 in herndon. your forecast today, mostly sunny skies. a few high clouds. temperatures will be in the mid and upper 70's. just a spectacular afterno. >> apectacular morning. overnight construction

citracal. >> couric: it's just what the vatican didn't need: more controversy. but today the number-two official there stirred some up when he suggested homosexuality, not celibacy, is to blame for priests abusing children. he said experts believe "there is a relation between homosexuality and pedophilia." meanwhile, the vatican for the first time directed church officials to report sex abuse to the police. and here in this country, elaine quijano reports some churches are taking action of their own to protect children. >> reporter: mark serrano remembers the first time he was alone with his abuser, father jim hanley. serrano was a fourth grader at st. joseph's in mendham, new jersey, and just nine years old. >> father hanley was friendly, put his arm around me and just said "i hear you've been acting up in class." you've got to stop giving the nuns a hard time. i tell you what, why don't you come and see me at the rectory. >> reporter: a gregarious priest hanley worked slowly to gain serrano's trust and the trust of serrano's parents, pat and lou. in >> in indiv

anne thompson is in rome this morning outside the vatican. anne, yesterday you hinted that we would hear something from the pope about this latest scandal. what are you hearing today? >> reporter: well, we haven't heard anything yet, chuck, but we have -- we will see and hear from pope benedict several times over the next few days. in fact, today, we will see and hear from him twice. this morning he celebrated mass at st. peter's, what's called a prism mass, where he blesses the oils for the entire year. at that mass, he did not mention the sexual abuse scandal raging here in europe. however, cardinal william laveda, who runs the office here at the vatican, used to be archbishop of san francisco, he went after "the new york times" on the vatican website, accusing "the times" of unfairness in its reporting about the pope and its inference that the pope, as cardinal ratzinger, had some role in the transfer of two pedophile priests. the cardinal said, pointing to the one case in wisconsin where father lawrence murphy abused some 200 deaf children

says the vatican confirms then cardinal ratzinger signed this letter. >> in 198 5, most of these cardinals had no idea of what young people went through when they were abused. the mentality was really more of concern about the priest. >> reporter: the criminal case against the priest, stephen kiesle of oakland, california, involved charges of molesting two boys, 11 and 12. ultimately, two years later, he was defrocked by cardinal ratzinger. the vatican said today, it will not respond specifically to the letter, which it called one of many documents that may have been taken out of context. in those two years, before that priest was defrocked, the priest was allowed to go back to his job as a youth minister, despite the crimes, diane, and that's the edge of this. >> all right, brian ross, thanks to you. >>> and still ahead on "world news," an american mother returns her 7-year-old adopted son to russia, alone. was he really a threat? >>> sarah palin fires up another crowd, and her latest sparring partner, the president himself. >>> and, on a kind of arab version of "american idol," astonishi

it seems mostly what we're getting from the vatican is a comparison to christ's suffering, to what heough before the crucifixion. they're not getting a lot of let's own up to this and deal with it. >> reporter: that's right, contessa. i mean, we're getting a lot of voices on a couple of sides, offense and defense, what we're not getting is anything from pope benedict and the whole world seems to be waiting for him to directly speak to the sex abuse scandal during this easter week. many vatican watchers are saying that's not likely going to happen. that given the fact that it would be extremely untoward for lack of a better term for the pontiff to address such a controversial issue during so solemn and holy a week. so instead, the ranks have closed and others are speaking for him. i can't guarantee it but i would guess that every single thing we have heard the past couple of days has been predigested and approved by the vatican in advance and it is a pretty good choreography. you mentioned that, you know, the self-critical statements, the mea culpas especially from german cardinal zoli

. >> and next a bittersweet day for the vatican. head of the roman kacatholic church after gettingn emotional earful from sex abuse victims. some lunch. you hungry? yeah. me too. (door crashes in) (broadview alarm) (gasp and scream) go! go! go! go! go! go! (phone rings) hello? this is mark with broadview security. is everything okay? no. someone just tried to break in. i'm sending help right now. thank you. (announcer) brink's home security is now broadview security. call now to install the standard system for just $99. the proven technology of a broadview security system delivers rapid response from highly trained professionals, 24 hours a day. call now to get the $99 installation, plus a second keypad installed free. and, you could save up to 20% on your homeowner's insurance. call now - and get the system installed for just $99. broadview security for your home or bususess - the next generation of brink's home security. call now. >>> stud is a day of sell bralgs at the vatican, marking five years since den bikt xvi became pope. b

in a service at the vatican today there was an unusual defense of the pope and the growing sexual abuse scandals in the catholic church. nbc's anne thompson is in rome again for us tonight. good evening. >> reporter: good evening, brian. the world is still waiting to hear from pope benedict on this issue, but comments from another church official have only added to the vatican's problems. pope benedict leading the way of the cross. the event at the heart of christianity. jesus dying for the sins of man, but the outcry over the priests dominated this good friday. priests who sexually abused children and church leaders who covered it up, perhaps even the pope. those accusations brought a controversial defense from the pope's personal preacher at today's service he compared the attacks on benedict to the persecution of the jews. >> translator: they know from experience what it means to be victims of collective violence, and also because of this, they are quick to recognize the recurrent symptoms. >> reporter: a vatican spokesperson said those are the thoughts of the preacher and not the po

the vatican has denied accusations that the church as well as the pope took part in a coverup.ut new files released today show before becoming pope cardinal ratzinger resisted efforts to defrock a priest that molested child in the mid 1980s. a letter signed by ratzinger expressed concerns about removing the priest would have on the catholic church. the vatican confirmed ratzinger's signature. >>> new details are emerging in the massachusetts bullying case that ended in a student's suicide. court documents show that south hadley high school freshman phoebe prince hanged herself after an unrelenting bullying campaign by six teenage classmates. hours before prince killed herself the alleged bullys threatened and taunted her because she had dated two boys they liked. the news of her suicide spread to phoebe's childhood home in ireland. >> she was very, very creative. loved to achieve. had no problem with the other girls or boys. >> the two boys that have been charged with statutory rape could spend years in prison if convicted. prosecutors say that the evidence of bullying is so st

>> a woman who claims -- excuse me, a man who claims a priest abused him as a child has slapped the vaticansing the catholic church of ignoring the sexual abuse of children. the vatican is fighting back. >> what we and every survivor want most and first now is action. >> reporter: and it is action they are taking against the vatican. a lawsuit filed thursday by an anonymous illinois man accuses the pope and other catholic officials of knowingly covering up sexual abuse by a priest at st. john school for the deaf in milwaukee. dean says he was also a student at that school and one of nearly 200 alleged victims. >> and now he wants to see sexual abuse stopped on children. >> reporter: in a statement the vatican calls the lawsuit a quote, "publicity stunt" and says the church did not know about allegations until after murphy died in 1998. on wednesday pope benedict promised to act. >> i pray with them with emotion e'assuring them of church action. >> reporter: those actions could include removing priests convicted of abuse or of covering up abuse. the pope has accepted the resignation of an ir

the policy is posted on the vatican website now. the guidelines contained no call for a zero tolerance of priests raping and molesting children. some of the victims say the policy do not go far enough. >> he was more concerned about the face of the church then the children. >> pope benedict is accused of covering up sex scandals before he was the pope. the vatican denied the allegations. it's about 5:57 on tuesday. if there's a lot more still to come in our second hour of good morning washinton. >> there's a twist to the russian child adoption case that has drawn international attention. i will tell you why. >> the first day of the summit led to a few problems on the roads, but how is day two shaping up? we'll tell you what it's like downtown in a live report. >> and lisa bowdon will you navigate your tuesday morning commute. >> coming up, the second day of the downtown block down. will the latest from inside the area and the traffic tieups outside. >> i'm outraged, very disappointed. >> local police epicenter of brutality investigat