Actually, Pope John Paul DID appoint Bernard Law to be Archbishop of Boston, and conferred on him the position of Cardinal. This happened in the late 80's, and I remember that because I've known Cardinal Law for over 30 years, and was THRILLED when he was given the Red Hat.
Cardinal Law happens to be a very compassionate man who made many mistakes when dealing with a situation that was long in the making before he ever arrived in Boston. In fact, he was personally responsible for ridding the Diocese of Jackson, MS of a couple of abusers when he was Chancellor of that Diocese.
According to the Grand Jury testimony, he didn't know at first about all that had happened before he arrived in Boston because it had been handled by the Bishops of the various Dioceses within the Archdiocese. The Attorney General of the state tried his best to make the Cardinal criminally responsible, but there was no legal standing to do it. HE didn't commit the crimes, he just didn't do all he could to send the men who DID do them to jail, and he admitted that he was wrong in that.
"HE didn't commit the crimes, he just didn't do all he could to send the men who DID do them to jail, and he admitted that he was wrong in that."
THAT sounds like accessory after the fact to me, but then - I'm no attorney.
As far as Law being compassionate, it seems to me his "comapssion" didn't extend to the victims of the predators he was playing musical chairs with. On the other hand, maybe he didn't really know what his subordinate bushops were doing. In that case, he was grossly negligent, wouldn't you say? Were any of them - the Bishops - successfully prosecuted?
I don't know all the particular details first hand of Law's situation. I only know what I read on the Internet and in the papers.
It appears the Catholic Church has had a serious problem with paedophile priests.
I KNOW the overwhelming majority of priests are NOT paedophiles, but dedicated, decent men doing a difficult and thankless job in a society which has become increasingly secular and atheistic.
Both paedophile priests and those who protect them, in addition to being guilty of crimes against society in general, have done an injustice to the Church they claim to represent and to their fellow clegymen who are not so sullied.
I doubt you can document that allegation.