From the Heartland with John Kasich, June 21st 2003

John Kasich interviews Bishop Joseph Galante, Coadjutor Bishop of Dallas.

Kasich:

Bishop, let me tell you I was hosting the O'Reilly Factor one night right when you came out with a zero tolerance and I declared the Church to have awaken but I'm still concerned now and I'm a supporter of the Church, it's a great institution, one of the greatest institutions in the world, but you write and have expressed your concern about the growing sense of privilege and entitlement that may have lead to these sorts of sins among the Catholic priests.

Bishop Galante:

I have said this: That certainly at ordination a change takes place theologically however what has accompanied it for a variety of reasons many of which are societal, is a sense of entitlement and privilege.

It's like the old estates in France, the first estate, the 2nd estate, the 3rd estate who were the privileged people in France, I think that, not intentionally, but in fact, this sense of privilege and entitlement has come about and what was lost in it was the sense of being a shepherd, a pastor.

Kasich:

You do not believe celibacy is the nub of the problem. Can you explain why?

Bishop Galante:

Yes, I believe very strongly that celibacy is not the nub of the problem. Celibacy properly understood and excepted, is a particular way of living and loving as Jesus does. It is not to exclude people from our lives but it is not to have any exclusive relationships but to open ourselves to all the people that come into our lives. And more importantly, that love is not merely an expression of the genital affection, but that ...

Kasich:

I think the point you've made in your writing is that it is a gift and shouldn't be used for punishment.

Bishop Galante:

It is.