>> abernethy: coming up: as the catholic sex abuse scandal reaches even some vatican officials, we get a priest's perspective. also, what it's like on the ground in juarez, the mexican city living in terror because of the war between drug cartels. and, social justice advocates celebrate passover and its message of freedom for jews and everyone else. captioning sponsored by the lilly endowment >> abernethy: welcome. i'm bob abernethy. it's good to have you with us. this week: health care reform. religious leaders were among those celebrating when president obama signed into law the controversial package that extends health insurance to some 32 million americans. democratic abortion opponents agreed to support the legislation after obama pledged to sign an executive order affirming that no federal funds will be used to finance abortions. he signed that order wednesday. still, the u.s. conference of catholic bishops and other abortion opponents said the executive order does not go far enough. meanwhile, religious leaders are urging restraint after protests against health care reform turned ugly. some protesters used racial slurs and spat on at least one congressman, representative emanuel cleaver, who is also a methodist pastor. united methodist leaders and many others called for a more civil discourse. also in washington, religious leaders led a massive rally for immigration reform. about 200,000 people crowded the national mall, pressing congress and the president to make immigration legislation a top priority. they called for keeping immigrant families intact and creating a path toward citizenship for the undocumented. allegations of sexual abuse in the american catholic church are down according to a new report released by the u.s. conference of catholic bishops. there were 36% fewer allegations reported in 2009 than the previous year. the church has spent $2.7 billion on sex abuse settlements and legal costs of which insurance covered about a third. new evidence came to light this week that raises questions about pope benedict xvi's response to the abuse scandal. documents surfaced that suggest the benedict, before he became pope, may have been involved in protecting abusive priests. meanwhile, benedict issued a letter of apology to irish catholics that was read at sunday masses. he also accepted the resignation of an irish bishop. but many lay people criticized the pope for not taking stronger actions. joining us is father tom reese, senior fellow at woodstock theological center at georgetown university. father reese, welcome. >> thank you. >> abernethy: the allegations just keep coming about sex abuse by some priests, about cover-ups by some bishops in the u.s., now in europe, all over europe, reaching into the vatican, maybe, too. what... you've served the church all your life. how do you react to all that? >> oh, it just turns my stomach. i mean, this is such an awful thing first of all that happened to these children. i have sat and listened to their stories, i've... and it scarred them for life, and it's a terrible experience for them, and it's gut-wrenching to listen to these stories and to hear what happened to them and how they were treated by the church. i think it's terrible and, you know, even though it was only 4% of priests that were involved in abuse, all of us priests feel shame and sorrow that this happened to children in our churches. >> abernethy: you feel betrayal by those who were leading the church? >> well, you know, there's a lot of anger out there, not just in the pews but also among the priests that these bishops who didn't deal with this properly have just scarred the church and hurt the reputation of all priests, even good ones. >> abernethy: there are allegations, as you know so well, that before he was pope, benedict presided over offices in germany and in the vatican that were, let's say, less than fully responsive to some of the allegations and situations that they faced. what should benedict do now? >> well, i think it's clear that benedict grew in his understanding of this crisis. like many of the other bishops at the beginning, he didn't understand it. he thought it was overblown. for example, at one time they said that only 1% of the priests were involved in it. well, that was what one study said at that time, and we found out it was 4%. but he grew in his understanding because he listened to what the u.s. bishops had to say. he, in fact, got it quicker than other people in the vatican. he got it quicker than john paul ii did. so i think that we can say that in his favor, that he grew in his understanding and responded to it better as time went on. >> abernethy: but when he sent the letter last weekend to the irish bishops, yes, he apologized and apologized, but he also did not go nearly as far in terms of discipline as a lot of people wanted to see. >> i think that's true, and the difficulty is that i think that the pope needs to be on message. in that letter he said a lot of things. he said good things. he said he was sorry, he said that this was a terrible crime and sin, he acknowledged the fact that bishops didn't respond adequately. those were good things that he said. >> abernethy: so what should he do? what should the church do, learning from what the u.s. experience was? >> well, i think that the european bishops really need to learn from the u.s. experience. they need to put into place a zero-tolerance policy, which means that any priest involved in abuse is never going to be acting as a priest again. they need to cooperate with the police in reporting these accusations. they need to have a child protection program in parishes and church, where people are trained. they need to apologize over and over and over again. >> abernethy: you're talking about the european bishops, but what about benedict himself? >> well, i think, you know, he needs to apologize also, just as he did when he came to the united states. you remember in that visit he apologized in the plane on the way over, he talked to the u.s. bishops about this, he met with victims of abuse. he needs to do more of that. >> abernethy: and what about punishment? >> i think that priests that are involved in abuse should be totally banned from any ministry into the future. i think that the mistake that the u.s. bishops made that the european bishops should learn from is that it is necessary for some bishops to stand up and say, "i did this, i had bad advice, i made a mistake, i'm really sorry, but i take full responsibility and i resign." i'm glad to see that some bishops in ireland have done that. >> abernethy: and do you expect that? >> i hope so. the mistake that the american bishops made, and i'm afraid the european bishops will also make, is that they'll think that this is going to blow over in a couple months. it's not. we are going to see thousands of cases come forward in europe over the next three to five years, if it's anything like what happened in the united states. they need to get ahead of this, they need to be transparent, they need to call on victims to come forward now and respond to them right away. otherwise this crisis will just continue to fester. >> abernethy: father tom reese, many thanks. this past week a delegation led by secretary of state hillary clinton flew to mexico to announce with officials there a new emphasis in their fight against mexican drug violence-- more reliance on civilian police, less on the army. but the problem is daunting. the billions of dollars spent by the millions of u.s. drug users enable mexican drug lords to bribe officials and buy arms, most of them from the u.s. over the past three years, as the cartels have fought each other for control of the market, 15,000 people have been killed, many of them mutilated. our correspondent lucky severson visited the mexican city with the worst drug violence, juarez. >> reporter: this war zone is not in some far off country. it's just across the border from el paso, texas, in juarez, mexico, one of the most dangerous cities in the world. >> there was a 47-year-old man here with four bullets in his head, so we stopped in order to give the last rites, as the used to say. >> reporter: since mexico's president, felipe calderon, declared war on the drug cartels four years ago, almost 5,000 citizens have been murdered in juarez alone. father kevin mullins knows. he's officiated at too many funerals. >> we've experienced 38, 40 executions just in this one parish here. >> reporter: next to the statue of the virgin mary on a hill overlooking juarez, there's a cross. it's riddled with bullet holes. no one, not even priests in the world's second largest catholic country, feels safe anymore. >> when i leave in the morning and go out in the truck, once upon a time i wouldn't think twice about it, but now because of these executions and because of stray bullets, i'd say, "lord, protect me, take care of me." then i'll go out. >> reporter: the violence has spread throughout mexico, but juarez has been particularly hard hit because it's a major conduit for illegal drugs passing from mexico into the united states. it's become a bloody battleground as cartels fighting for the huge amounts of money involved murder each other and innocent civilians. >> it is a city that has real fear, a lot of it unpredictable, a lot of it you can't put your finger on it, but it's certainly something with which people live on a daily basis. >> reporter: ruben garcia runs annunciation house, a halfway house for indigent migrants across the border in el paso. some who cross over to escape the violence come here. but most, like these folks who belong to father mullin's parish, are stuck in juarez, worried first about their kids and grandkids, worried about stray bullets. leo says he's heard that teachers have been threatened that their students will be hurt if the teachers don't pay extortion money. four of ezikial's extended family have been victims. >> so the mother and the son were killed just before christmas outside the old u.s. consulate, and the week before a nephew had also been executed outside the church in st. marcos. >> reporter: when juan pablo refused to use his market as a drop-off location for suspicious packages, he was told his two kids would be killed. so the family quietly and quickly moved to another city and then quietly returned. yesterday there were 13 executions here in juarez, the day before, 19. two of those were decapitations. even more striking than the number of murders is the gruesome way they have been carried out. almost every day, the 1.5 million residents of juarez are exposed to horrific news stories of unthinkable violence. a mere shooting hardly gets any attention. >> shooting people is always terrible, but when they dismember them or when they strangle them with barbed wire, it's horrific, the results. or decapitation is fairly big around here. mario was stoned to death down below there. you see the cross. a gentleman called lalo was stoned to death up this gully. >> reporter: father mullins says it's as if juarez has become satan's stomping ground. you're not willing to concede? >> not yet, no, because i think it's evident from the scriptures, and also from history, that good overcomes evil. >> reporter: most everyone agrees that one reason so many people are enticed by all the drug money is that so few here have jobs. because of the violence, tourism has dried up, and more than 6,000 businesses have closed, leaving tens of thousands unemployed. for many, the only alternative is illegal and dangerous. >> if i have no work, and i'm not eating, and my children are not eating, and along comes someone and finds a way for me to start feeding my kids, i'm going to be grateful for that person. if you come and you say, "did you know that person is a notorious drug dealer?" i'm going to look at you and say, "you know what? my kids are eating." >> reporter: one of the biggest problems in mexico is a lack of trust in anything to do with the government-- politicians, police, the army, you name it. >> of every 618 executions, 20 are investigated. >> reporter: only investigated? not ever solved, just investigated? >> 20 out of 619, so any talk of investigations is really a joke. >> the corruption that is affecting mexico is very, very pervasive. it includes most of mexico's institutions to a level that would probably be mind boggling to the average citizen in the united states. what would it mean for the average u.s. citizen to wake up and to realize i cannot call my police department because i cannot trust my police? >> reporter: one institution that mexican people have always had faith in is the catholic church, in part because almost 90% of the over 142 million citizens are catholic. but even trust in the churchuc appears to be eroding. estellita, a mother of ten, says the church has not done enough to fight the cartels. you mean the church has done nothing? >> si. >> senora estella says the catholic church has been a little bit sleepy. they could have done a little more. >> i think the church in mexico has been hurt by its hesitancy and its silence. it's willingness to be prophetic, to be outspoken, to speak the truth, i think, would enhance its credibility. >> reporter: garcia and many others in mexico feel that for the catholic church to speak the truth, it has to confront the drug cartels head on. >> i think maybe the bishops could be more vocal. >> reporter: but it's dangerous. >> it could be dangerous yes, but that element of danger is also part of if you want to live a christian life in a situation like this there could be an element, a modicum of danger from time to time. >> reporter: the mexican council of bishops estimates that about two out of every ten priests face serious risks for speaking against drug traffickers. one has been killed, dozens transferred for their own safety. the rest are looking over their shoulders. >> and i got a call from one of my colleagues, a mexican priest here, and he called up and said, "kevin, kevin is that you?" and i said yeah, yeah it's me," and he said, "i'm so happy to hear your voice." he said, "the radio said you were just assassinated in the street." some other priests had heard of this, and they prayed a mass of the dead, for the dead priest, being me, on christmas eve, and they were pleased to see me the following week. >> reporter: and you were probably pleased to be there. >> i was pleased to be there without the bullet holes, yes. >> reporter: after a long and conspicuous silence, in november 2009, the mexican bishops conference publicly condemned narcotics traffickers and demanded that the country's politicians crack down on corruption. the communiqué said the bishops intend to have a louder voice against the evils of illegal drug trafficking. but in individual churches, the battle had already begun. when father mullins came here nine years ago, he could only count about 30 regular churchgoers. take a look now. >> i never cease to be amazed at the nobility of the people around here, not that that's a surprise, but i just think people are so brave in juarez. it's a privilege for me to be a priest here. >> reporter: one reason his parish has grown so much is because he sent what few members he had to the neighborhoods offering the church as an alternative lifestyle to the drug culture. this is eduardo perez. >> we invite many people, we go to the streets and invite people, "hey, come to our church." >> reporter: so you think you cannot win the drug war without the church? >> yes, absolutely. i mean, absolutely. maybe without church, but not without god. >> reporter: the catholic church has a proud tradition of standing up for people who can't defend themselves. father mullins and many others here believe that now is the time for the church to stand up to the drug cartels, regardless of the risks. for "religion & ethics newsweekly," i'm lucky severson in juarez, mexico. >> abernethy: in other news, the u.s. and russia have agreed to slash their nuclear arsenals. the deal would reduce the number of deployed strategic warheads and launchers and also impose a new inspection process. president obama and russian president dmitri medvedev are expected to sign the treaty next month. in haiti, debt relief for a country where needs remain acute. the inter-american development bank agreed to forgive almost $450 million of haiti debt. at the same time, religious leaders are asking their flocks to remember haiti's needs during the upcoming christian and jewish holidays. pope benedict said the money collected during masses on holy thursday should be used for rebuilding haiti's destroyed catholic seminary. and, american jewish world service is suggesting that jewish families remember haiti during passover seders. an american has won the world's largest annual award-- the templeton prize. it honors contributions that further understanding of spiritual life and this year, is worth more than $1.5 million. the new winner is francisco ayala, a former dominican priest who studies evolutionary genetics and molecular biology. he has defended darwin's theory from attacks by christian fundamentalists and has written about how science and religion can and should co-exist. ayala said he plans to donate his award money to charity. on our calendar, a busy week ahead. for christians, it is holy week, with palm sunday, holy thursday, and good friday leading to the most important christian holiday, easter. because of differing calendars, eastern and western christians usually mark christ's crucifixion and resurrection on different days, but this year the calendars converge. and, for jews, the eight-day festival of passover begins at sundown on monday. families gather for seders meals and read the story of the jewish exodus from egypt. for some, passover has become a time to celebrate the freedom of everyone who was once enslaved. in st. paul, minnesota, social activists from many traditions gathered at mount zion temple to re-tell the exodus story and its implications for today, for instance, for immigrants. our guide was rabbi amy eilberg, the first woman ordained a rabbi in the conservative branch of judaism. >> the central themes of passover have to do with exploring the journey from different kinds of enslavement. not just the historic kind referenced in the biblical story but, on multiple levels, journeys in life-- individually and collectively-- from enslavement, from constriction, from tyranny, to freedom, liberation, transformation of self, community, and the world. the core message of the seder is to say that we-- in its particularistic jewish meaning-- we who know the soul of the stranger because we were strangers, we were slaves, we were the object of oppression in egypt. since we know that story so well, we are always... it's fundamental to who we are to stand in our lives as champions for the oppressed. >> the bread of our affliction... just as a seder has groups of four in it's structure-- there are four cups of wine and four questions and four children-- we had four stories to illustrate different kinds of immigrant experiences. >> before i came to america, i was a high school principal, i'm from the state of mexico. >> people who are still-- to use the metaphor of the seder-- still not sure that they're going to make it through the sea alive. >> blood, frogs... >> one of the central lines of the seder that has to do with opening the door of our homes, "whoever is hungry may they come here and eat," we take that simple phrase... i recited it in aramaic, and then we go around the room and invite whoever can speak that phrase in their native language to go ahead and do that. >> korean. >> it's very beautiful to have that embodied moment of feeling that we have the whole world here. >> ♪ go down moses. >> this is an ancient and also very contemporary, meaningful ritual that is sacred to one group of people and also speaks of themes that are shared by everyone. people leave with a sense of hope that with this kind of large community of people very much dedicated to these issues that perhaps we will overcome. >> abernethy: finally, as christian and jewish families prepare holiday meals, we all may want to take note of a new study. two scholars compared artistic depictions of the last supper and found that the portions served to jesus and the apostles became larger and larger over time. indeed, between the year 1000 and the year 2000 entrée sizes grew 70%. you can find more about that study in the most recent issue of "the international journal of obesity." that's our program for now. i'm bob abernethy. we'd like to hear from you. you can follow us on our facebook page. we also have much more on our web site including an extended interview with father thomas reese. 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, scenes from the catholic mass for immigrants at st. aloysius church in washington, before this past weekend's rally for immigration reform. captioning sponsored by the lilly endowment captioned by media access group at wgbh access.wgbh.org