Really? Then why did it take until 1998 for John Geoghan to be defrocked, when Cardinal Law knew that he was a molester for at least 14 years? Why did Joseph Birmingham get to be a priest until his death in 1989, even though he had admitted to church officials that he had molested children? Why did Law write a job recommendation for Paul Shanley in 1997, even though he knew the guy was gay, and a molestor? Why did Law assign Ronald Paquin to a chaplain position in 1998, where Paquin continued to molest boys?
Yeah, Law worked night and day on "getting rid of the abusers", alright. It only took 20 years of his leadership, and a few multimillion-dollar lawsuits and the criminal justice system's involvement, for these priests to lose their jobs.
In ALL of the situations of the molesters, they were sent away to 'clinics' which claimed to have 'cured' them. The Church's problem was in accepting the recommendations that it would be 'safe' to return them to the ministry. Law and his Bishops made the mistake of not booting the guys the minute they molested after having returned supposedly 'cured'. I have no idea what it takes to de-frock a priest. It may take quite a long time, I don't know.
As far as the letter of recommendation for Shanley, I don't know what it said, but he sure couldn't have written that Shanley was a suspected molester without being charged with libel. There was no criminal record, and not even an investigation at that point.
It's easy for us to sit here and say what should have been done, but none of us knows the situations. I'm curious as to why none of the psycholigists and psychiatrists are not being held responsible for their recommendations that it was OK to return these men to the ministry.