Posted on 04/08/2005 2:56:33 PM PDT by cowtowney
Cardinal Bernard Law The Vatican has granted a prominent role in the Pope's funeral rituals to a U.S. cardinal who was forced to resign amid accusations that he protected sexually-abusive priests.
Cardinal Bernard Law, the former archbishop of Boston, will celebrate Mass on one of the nine days of mourning for Pope John Paul II.
Some American Catholics feel this privilege represents the Vatican's lack of recognition of the abuse scandal that rocked the U.S. Catholic Church.
Cardinal Law resigned from his Boston post in 2002, when it became known that his archdiocese simply transferred priests who had been accused of abuse to other parishes.
Last year, Cardinal Law was granted a post at one of the main basilicas in Rome. It is through this position that he was given a role in the Pope's funeral masses.
He will have also have a say in the selection of the next pope
Yes. But we also can tell by their fruits. If they show no signs of repentance and continue on in the sin, then we know there was no true and Godly repentance. On the other hand, if they do show signs of repentance, we still cannot know their heart on that matter much of the time. Sometimes though it is obvious and the Spirit will witness to us. But it is wrong to judge their hearts because that belongs to the Lord. We can just know that in the end, we each will stand in front of the Lord God and be accountable for each of our thoughts, words, and deeds. And that should be a most humbling Truth to each.
That may be true, but I'm not sure it negates my point. I'm not sure what you're getting at, really.
Did Law move around pederasts, or didn't he? Are you saying that whatever priests he moved around, he was led to believe that their move was necessitated by something other than pederasty? That he was in the dark about all of it, completely duped? Not trying to be confrontational, but that strains credulity. Still, if he's an innocent here, a dove, we all should know that. What's more, I appreciate being corrected when I'm wrong.
Note how New York, not Boston or even the mother-diocese of Baltimore has been the moral authority in America.
I'm not sure what this has to do with anything. And, speaking for myself, I never looked to Cardinal O'Connor or Cardinal Egan for the finer points on a Holy and Moral life. Not saying they were or are bad men, just saying I never saw either one as a moral 'authority.'
ARe you saying that the DA only presses charges on people when they're in the country? That doesn't make any sense.
The greatest failing of John Paul II was his lack of compassion for the little boys abused by priests with the tacit permission of the Catholic hierarchy and no action on his part.
The Pope just "swept under the rug" Cardinal Law's permissive handling of the pedophiles who were priests. Sort of makes you wonder if Law is a pedophile himself and just protecting his own.
Who said that the Catholic Chuch should put him in jail?
Of course the Boston legal authorities should have prosecuted him, but there was a sweatheart deal to wisk him out of the country in return for no prosecution.
Very true. Let's hope it doesn't come to that.
I have a good feeling that it won't go more than a few days.
well, at least we haven't seen anything like this for a long while:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cadaver_Synod
Source?
http://www.foxnews.com/
There's Cardinal Law. Saying mass in Rome.
This makes me sick.
Well, he's a Cardinal. That's what they do.
When this grave matter of pedophilia is brought to the attention of the Cardinal Archbishop of Boston, what does he do? Note that up until this scandal broke the so-called experts said that this condition was treatable. Does the Bishop thumb through the Yellow Pages looking for a doctor? No, he had people within his own administration who were to advise him.
How come there is no scrutiny whatsoever of the Diocesan administration/advisors?
Why did the advisors pick doctors who kept advising that the priests were fit for parish work? Why is no one hounding the American Psychological and the American Psychiatric Associations for answers? Note that some pschologists have even suggested that homosexuality and pedophilia are healthy!
Also, underlying all of this is a simple case of ecclesial jealousy. Red State Bishop in a Blue State Diocese.
Not being from Boston, after graduating from Harvard he was advised by Bishop Riley to serve in an area that needed priests. Law went to a seminary in Ohio, and was assigned to work in Mississippi (the American South being missionary territory until only recently). Law didn’t return to Boston until after he had served as Bishop of Springfield-Cape Girardeau. A Harvard grad and Bean Town outsider you can be sure that put a cramp in the lifestyle of long established, Diocesan Old Boys Club. They made sure that their way of life wasn't disturbed by Law's arrival in Boston.
Amen, or at least in some remote monastery doing penance for the rest of his life in reparation for all the lives he helped to ruin. Yes, then under those circumstances, being truly repentant and willing to do penance, I think he should be forgiven.
Law was the shepherd. He was the one to whom Our Lord provided whatever graces needed to fulfill this awesome responsibility, he only needed to respond to them.
"And whosoever shall scandalize one of these little ones that believe in me; it were better for him that a millstone were hanged around his neck, and he were cast into the sea." Mark 9.41
Not only were children abused and violated many of them as well as their family members lost their faith due to this.
"Bernard Law is not a conservative. He has one interest in life and that's Bernard Law."
Fr. Malachi Martin in an interview done in 1996
Of course he can be forgiven, but that doesn't undo his behavior, which impacts his credibility - that is, his credibility has been harmed and he should not be in a leadership position.
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