Cardinal Bernard Law, one of the United States’ most influential churchmen whose tenure was marred by his handling of the clerical sexual abuse crisis, has died.
The Vatican announced his death this morning. He was 86 and had been suffering from a long illness.
A former Archbishop of Boston, the Harvard-educated Law was a charismatic ecclesiastical heavy-hitter who used his influence to defend the poor and marginalised. As a young priest in in the segregated south who took courageous stands in favour of civil rights, defended the rights of immigrants and backed programmes for affordable housing.
As one of the US church most prominent prelates he networked with presidents and world leaders urging them to forgive the debt of poor countries while successfully lobbying George W. Bush’s administration to give a tax cut to low paid workers. At one point a Boston magazine put him as fourth on their “power list.”
But the cardinal suffered a dramatic fall from grace due to the appalling sex abuse crisis in Boston, where it emerged that Law had moved priest abusers between parishes without notifying authorities. Reporting by the Boston Globe newspaper in 2002 revealed that in cases such as John Geoghan and Paul Shanley - former priests convicted for child rape - the cardinal and the archdiocese had been made aware of allegations against them but failed to act.
The newspaper’s uncovering of the scandal was documented in the Oscar-winning film “Spotlight” where the cardinal was portrayed as a remote and out of touch figure who presented the Jewish editor of the Boston Globe with a catechism after their first meeting. Law was not universally liked. While an impressive figure in major set-piece events, some complained of arrogance and an imperial manner during their one-on-one encounters with him.
On a state visit to the US in 1998, the then President of Ireland, Mary McAleese, said she was berated by Law for her support of female ordination with the cardinal saying he was: “sorry for Catholic Ireland to have you as President.”
Law was eventually forced to resign as Boston’s archbishop in 2002, the year the sexual abuse crisis in the states reached its zenith point, and two years later was named by Pope John Paul II as Archpriest of the Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore in Rome. While to the public this was seen as an honour and allowing for Law to have a cushy retirement, the job is largely a ceremonial position. In reality, it was a gentle, dignified and classically Roman way of humbling a once powerful figure. But it never satisfied those who wanted Law to be severely punished for his wrongdoing.
During retirement, the cardinal retained his membership and participation of some important Vatican departments including the Congregation for Bishops, which plays a key role in helping the Pope with the appointments of church leaders. He also took part in the 2005 conclave which elected Benedict XVI.
In Rome, Law was often seen at embassy functions although he refused interviews and kept a low profile. But his appearance at events tapered off over the last couple of years due to his old age and worsening health.
PICTURE: US cardinal Bernard Law looks on as Pope Benedict XVI celebrated a consistory ceremony and consecrated six non-European prelates as new members of the College of Cardinals, on November 24, 2012 at the Vatican ©PA
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