Boston’s Cardinal Law, Who Was Disgraced after Sex Abuse Scandal, Resigns from Rome Job

VATICAN CITY — Cardinal Bernard Law, who resigned in disgrace as Boston’s archbishop in 2002 after the priest sex abuse scandal erupted in the United States, has retired from his subsequent job as head of a major Roman basilica.

The Vatican said Monday that Pope Benedict XVI had accepted the 80-year-old Law’s resignation as archpriest of St. Mary Major basilica and had named Spanish Monsignor Santos Abril y Castello to replace him.

Law’s 2004 appointment as the archpriest of one of Rome’s most important basilicas had been harshly criticized by victims of priestly sex abuse, who charged that bishops who covered up for pedophile priests should be punished, not rewarded.

Ten months after he left office, Law’s successor, now-Cardinal Sean P. O’Malley, helped broker an $85 million settlement with more than 550 victims of pedophile priests.

While in Rome, Law has been a frequent presence at major Vatican ceremonial and diplomatic events, a lifestyle that galled many abuse victims who have long insisted that the Vatican crack down on bishops who would transfer abusive priests rather than report them to police.

The Washington Post