Posted on 12/09/2002 6:16:19 PM PST by Scupoli
BOSTON — Cardinal Bernard Law consulted with the Vatican on Monday during an abrupt trip to Rome, stirring speculation that he was stepping down or arranging for the Boston Archdiocese to declare bankruptcy.
The archdiocese shed no light Monday on the purpose of Law's visit, which came amid a new groundswell of criticism among once-loyal parishioners and priests about his handling of sexual abuse cases against priests.
"He's lost his diocese," said the Rev. Robert Bullock, a leader of the Boston Priests Forum, a group that represents about half of the approximately 600 priests in the archdiocese. "He's in hiding. He can't appear in public here. We need new leadership."
Law's trip comes a week after thousands of pages of the archdiocese's personnel files were released, painting a grim picture of rogue priests who engaged used drugs and engaged in sex. In one case, a priest seduced girls studying to become nuns, telling them he was the "second coming of Christ." In another case, a priest fathered at least two children and abandoned their mother while she was suffering a drug overdose.
Last week, an archdiocese financial panel authorized Law to seek Vatican approval for an unprecedented bankruptcy filing to deal with the 400 or so lawsuits brought by alleged victims of child-molesting priests.
In the past week, priests have begun circulating petitions among the clergy calling on Law to resign, joining a chorus of parishioners.
The pope is the only church official who can appoint and oust bishops. Even when a bishop decides to resign or retire, he cannot leave his post without the pope's authorization.
Ray Flynn, a former ambassador to the Vatican and former Boston mayor, said he did not expect a quick decision from the Vatican.
It was not known when Law left for Rome or when he planned to return, though he is scheduled to be answer questions in a sex abuse lawsuit Dec. 17.
C.J. Doyle, executive director of the Catholic Action League and an outspoken Law supporter, said he considers Law the person best suited to fix the scandal.
"Were he to leave now, it would simply be in the lap of his successor to clear up these problems," Doyle said. "The cardinal, by staying, is really making a sacrifice for the church, allowing his future successor to come in with a clean slate."
Still, members of the Boston Priests Forum planned to meet this week to draft a resolution calling for Law's resignation. Fifty priests have already signed a separate resolution asking Law to step down.
"The events of recent months and, in particular, of these last few days, make it clear to us that your position as our bishop is so compromised that it is no longer possible for you to exercise the spiritual leadership required for the church of Boston," reads the statement.
The crisis began in January, when previously secret church documents were released, showing that Law and other church officials allowed priests accused of molesting children back into parish ministry, where many went on to abuse other youngsters.
After an initial outcry for Law's resignation from victim support groups and others, he appeared to be making strides toward restoring public confidence. He met with victims and a lay Catholic reform group that has been highly critical of him, and engaged in some of the routine public duties of the head of the archdiocese.
But the priest personnel files released last week contained some of the most shocking allegations to date.
"Most Catholics would be pleased to have him step down," said Bishop Joseph Imesch of Joliet, Ill. "Unfortunately, people link what's happening in Boston to every other diocese in the country."
If Law resigns, it could fuel demands elsewhere for other church leaders to follow suit.
Among them: Bishop Thomas Daily of Brooklyn, N.Y., and Bishop Robert Banks of Green Bay, Wis. They were among the bishops who formerly worked in the Boston Archdiocese and oversaw former Massachusetts priest John Geoghan, whose crimes touched off the crisis.
Oh what the hell, it's already morally bankrupt.
Ironic that Imesch is quoted because most Catholics would like to see him 86'd as well.
Wasn't Imesch personally involved in some homosexual scandal?
How does he have the nerve to open his yap?
Fr. Bullock and several other priests (all who have been called in to the chancery and disciplined by C. Law in the past (B.S. - before scandals) organized the Boston Priests Forum a few months before the scandals broke in January. The plan supposedly was to try to find some way to retaliate against C. Law because he was telling them to adhere to Church teachings. Then the scandal broke. These same priests are the behind the scenes organizers of "Voice of the Faithful" - but they asked lay men to start it up.
It amazes me (NOT) that the Boston Globe has a copy of the letter asking Cardinal Law to step down written by the leaders of the Boston Priests Forum - I mean, Cardinal Law hasn't even seen it. The priests are hoping that 50 priests sign it. They are in open defiance of the Cardinal and using the media to further their agenda. These priests want homosexual men ordained, married male priests, ordained females and question church teaching on confession, some use inclusive language during the Mass - all are liberals to varying degrees. Some of them I know or I know people in their parishes.
Ultimately, what they want is a democratic church where they choose the bishops and cardinals and priests are hired and fired. The thing is, the can of worms is opened... now, VOTF is demanding, because of past secrecy, the files on ALL priests to examine their pasts...
The leaders of the Boston Priests Forum are all very well connected priests, activists and media hounds and have been for years. There is NO way these guys did not know what was going on. I'd like someone to start asking them what they knew and when they knew it. Same with the lawyers involved in past settlements. Same with the media - I've read that the Boston Globe was investigating this stuff years ago. Never reported any of it until this year.
The situation here is dark and from all appearances, it looks like these priests are breaking off. The parishioners are very polarized in some parishes. It is a very sad situation. It's hard to know what will happen next.
I don't know Cardinal Law, but those who I know who know him say he is a kind, loving, forgiving priest who trusted others far too much to do what he should have done himself (look at how Bishop McCormack of NH was involved with this mess - he signed off on almost every one of the abusers records and took/didn't take the outraged phone calls from parents - he was the "point" man on this thing in Boston, he was the #2 man). Ultimately, the Cardinal is responsible for all of it, I am not defending him - his laxness caused damage to so many souls that will probably never be healed. He has been equally tolerant of all of the dissident priests and nuns here. It appears that you need to have a heavy hand like Bruskewitz, I guess, else your "friends" eat you alive in the end.
Well, thanks for the prayers, but really, I just pray for unity within the archdiocese. There is a lot of hatred here among God's people. I just hope to God that Boston isn't a test case for other dioceses. Dissent has been rampant and mainly unchecked here for years, and the price is being paid now.
As you can see, there are two different agendas at work... the evil abusing clergy (priests and bishops) scandals and the dissident priests and laity taking advantage of the church on her knees - it's a power struggle.
I hope those priests do break away - and take the VOTF'ers with them because VOTF is CTA, WomenChurch, CORPUS, We Are Church and other "do-it-yourself Catholics" all rolled under one umbrella.
The ringleader of this Boston Priests Forum and VOTF is Father "Call me Walter" Cuenin. He did a pretty heretical interview with New York Magazine last fall - September, I think. I don't know if it is online, but it has been referenced in the Wanderer (and other sources as well), and that can be found using a "google" search. Just in case you think these priests are obedient to Rome - they aren't and haven't been for years.
Last week a friend of mine asked the president of VOTF, Paul Baier, whether he believed what the Magisterium taught. Honest to God, he asked what the Magisterium was and if he could find it in a book. This is the guy who is gunning to elect the next Bishop of Boston. The head honcho priests who are calling (through the media, of course) for Law's resignation, preach - no confession, women priests, married priests, homosexual ordination, some question the Real Presence and some use inclusive language and other novelties during Mass. They also want to have a hand in electing the next Bishop.
Oddly, in this case, I trust Rome to do a better job than the cacophony of voices I hear all around me. :-)
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