Cardinal must answer questions in molestation probe
By The Associated Press
04.19.02
CAMBRIDGE, Mass. — Boston's highest-ranking Roman Catholic leader has been ordered by a judge to submit to questions about his handling of a priest accused of molestation.
Judge Leila Kearns said April 17 that Cardinal Bernard Law can be deposed by lawyers for a man who claims Law and the Boston Archdiocese failed to protect him from being sexually abused by the Rev. Paul Shanley.
The deposition was scheduled for June 5.
Kearns rejected a motion by archdiocese attorney Wilson Rogers Jr. to dismiss the lawsuit on constitutional grounds of separation between church and state.
"Quite honestly I would have preferred to have not had to fight over this. But there's no way that we're backing down," said Paula Ford, the mother of Gregory Ford, 24, who sued claiming he was abused by Shanley.
Law has faced increasing criticism since about 850 pages in Shanley's personnel files were turned over by the archdiocese to attorney Roderick MacLeish, and later made public.
The records detailed Shanley's advocacy for sex between men and boys as well as his transfer to several parishes by the archdiocese, despite allegations of child sexual abuse.
MacLeish said the archdiocese may have withheld other materials about Shanley, including correspondence between church officials regarding Shanley's medical evaluations and additional allegations of abuse.
A lawyer for Shanley, Frank Mondano, appeared in court April 17, joining the archdiocese to argue that medical records are confidential. Judge Leila Kearns set a May 1 hearing on that issue.
MacLeish represents 120 plaintiffs suing priests, the archdiocese and Law. MacLeish and attorneys for the archdiocese plan to negotiate the release of additional materials.
Kearns ruled that all the discovery documents in the case should be made public.
The sex scandal largely began with former priest John J. Geoghan, who has been accused of molesting more than 130 youngsters and is serving a prison sentence for groping a boy in a swimming pool. Documents released months ago show that the archdiocese knew about the allegations against him but did little more than transfer him from parish to parish.
In a statement April 16, Law said he had met in Rome with Pope John Paul II and Vatican officials and had raised the possibility of resigning, but returned determined to clean up the sexual-abuse scandal in his archdiocese.
Law, who has not appeared in public in Boston since Easter Sunday (March 31), will be saying Mass at Holy Cross Cathedral April 21, archdiocese spokeswoman Donna Morrissey said.