www.byzcath.org Forums News & Events Church News Cardinal Law Resigns

Text Of Law's Resignation
"I am profoundly grateful to the Holy Father for having accepted my resignation as Archbishop of Boston.

It is my fervent prayer that this action may help the Archdiocese of Boston to experience the healing, reconciliation and unity which are so desperately needed.

To all those who have suffered from my shortcomings and mistakes I both apologize and from them beg forgiveness.


To the bishops, priests, deacons, religious and laity, with whom I have been privileged to work in our efforts to fulfill the Churchs mission, I express my deep gratitude. My gratitude extends as well to so many others with whom I have been associated in serving the common good; these include those from the ecumenical, Jewish, and wider interreligious communities as well as public officials and others in the civil society.

The particular circumstances of this time suggest a quiet departure. Please keep me in your prayers."

My Dear Friends,

Although some may celebrate this news today, it is met with mixed emotions here in Boston. The church in Boston will hopefully, be able to move on and start healing, but it is still as sad day here in Boston.

The seminary is loosing its pastor, to take over the regins of the Archdiocese of Boston. Bishop Richard G. Lennon is a wonderful spiritual man, who by the way, has a wonderful heart for the Eastern Churches.

Please pray for Boston, and please pray for the students, faculty, and staff of the Seminary here in Boston.

God Bless you all,

Peter M. Preble
St. John's Seminary
Brighton, Massachusetts
Seminarian for the Romanian Catholic Eparchy of Canton.

I also have mixed feelings about this news...although I know the Cardinal's resignation is probably for best, and I agree that he has made many mistakes in handling the situation in his diocese, I still can't help but be reminded of St. Thomas Becket and his probklems with Henry II.

The Bishop of Rome must have enormous confidence in Bishop Lennon. The new bishop has an incredible mess to clean up. Let us pray for him. He must not only deal with the lawsuits and trials and financial problems but he must bring comfort and restore confidence all the while navigating a path toward Orthodoxy while the wolves in sheeps clothing will be trying to laicize the Church.

Dan Lauffer

BTW What bothers me even more than Cardinal Law's misbehavior is the fact that he was chosen by an infallible pope. Does this bother anyone else?

Since I am not a Catholic in the Boston area and I have no special sentiment for Cardinal Law, I am happy at his resignation. I am wondering, however, if the Cardinal will ever have to face legal consequences for his actions? Catholic teaching insists on mercy AND justice.

I see mercy..but where is the justice? I think time in prison is called for. Cardinal Law broke the policy given to the church by Thomas Aquinas: the Church is accountable to its hierarchy AND its governmental and local authorities.

Now, don't misunderstand me; I still have Christian love for the Cardinal, but there can be no special treatment for those who "cover up" the behavior of priests. I know it isn't the Cardinal's fault that his priests had this illness, but he is responsible for their treatment and to make sure they are not around those they are lusting for.

Our own Bishop in Phoenix, Thomas O'Brien, had done the same thing. He repeatedly told parents of abused children not to say anything, then proceeded to transfer the priest. I'm sorry, all its going to take is one of these guys doing time...and I'm praying for that day!

V

Hello:

The Pope's charism of infallibility doesn't extend to the episcopal appointments he makes.

Papal infallibility is strictly limited to definitive and universal definitions about faith and morals.

As for the mixed feelings, well, how could a step in the right direction, in the midst of such a horrible situation *not* be received with mixed feelings?

I think every sensible person on earth would see Cardinal Law's resignation as the right thing to do. If anything, overdue for quite some time.

Does that mean that the mess is over? Of course not. Now we need to pray and work even more intensely to take our Church out of this hole, and move forward.

Shalom,
Memo.

Dan,

You are trying to apply papal infallibility to a situation (selection of a bishop) where infallibilty does not operate. Reread Lumen Gentium regarding infallibility, it applies to teachings not selections of bishops. Prudential decisions do not fall under the scope of papal infallibility. The Church is also accorded infallibility, but no one questioned the Church's infallibilty because a Borgia was elected Bishop of Rome by the Church. There is no definition of teaching when a bishop is selected.

Although I am not trying to compare Cardinal Law to any of the Twelve, Jesus did choose Judas Iscariot, so does that make Jesus any less God?

Hey these news appeared before his resignation.

POPE GAVE HIS BLESSING

By KATE SHEEHY

December 11, 2002 --

Boston's Bernard Cardinal Law was just following orders from his boss - Pope John Paul II - when he sent suspected pedophile priests back to work in parishes with kids, a damning church document reveals.

The pope, in a 1999 order defrocking a Boston priest with a history of molesting boys, acknowledged that the man "ought to live away from the place where his previous condition is known."

But the leader of the Catholic Church also gave pedophile priest Robert Burns' superior one way to get around the order.

"The local [superior] . . . is able to dispense from this clause of the decree if it is foreseen that the presence of the suppliant will cause no scandal," the pope wrote.

Burns eventually pleaded guilty to criminal charges of sexually assaulting two boys in New Hampshire, and was sentenced to two consecutive four- to eight-year terms in jail.

Victims' lawyer Roderick MacLeish was outraged.

"This document says [Burns] is to be relocated to another place where presumably they wouldn't know about him, unless the bishop or the cardinal of the appropriate diocese determines it will cause no scandal [for him to stay where he was]," MacLeish said.

"What about the children?"

A spokeswoman for the Archdiocese of Boston referred questions to the Vatican. Officials at the Vatican's embassy in Washington were not immediately available for comment.

The document, among Burns' personnel files released under court order, surfaced as Law continued to huddle with top officials at the Vatican over the raging sex scandal.

Law found himself at the center of the storm after numerous priests in his archdiocese were accused of abusing kids and womanizing - and records showed his administration mostly chose to move them from parish to parish, rather than seriously address the charges.

The beleaguered bishop flew to Rome for an emergency meeting with papal advisers Sunday.

And Law yesterday resigned from the board of Catholic University in Washington, which he had chaired for 12 years.

Back in Boston, dozens of diocesan priests signed an explosive petition demanding he step down.

Church sources suggested yesterday that the Vatican may take the highly unusual step of forcing Law out if he doesn't want to resign.

Still, Joseph Gallagher, co-founder of Coalition of Catholics and Survivors, said that the newly uncovered order by the pope suggests the roots of the scandal involve something much bigger than Law - the Vatican's apparent policy of putting its image above the safety of kids.

"They've moved sexual offenders from parish to parish without notifying the parishioners," Gallagher said.With Post Wire Services

I have a MAJOR problem with people calling pedopilia an illness or a sickness; if it where then they would not be responsible for their actions. It is not only a Sin against God and His Church, but also against the State. Ecclesiastically it should be punished with excommunication - from a Civil standpoint life in prison.

Well said, Memo.

It is a sad day, however,Cardinal Law's resignation is warranted in my opinion, having knowledge of the wrong doing and not acting properly on it is as bad as commiting it. But where does the buck stop? It needs to be resolved quickly before more damaged is done to the faithful. I fear a "shark feeding frenzy" will develope soon, not by the faithful but by outsiders.

St. Matthew 18: 6-7,10

6> "But whoever causes one of these little ones who believes in me to sin, it were better for him to have a great millstone hung around his neck, and to be drowned in the depths of the sea".

7>"Woe to the world because of scandals !For it must needs to be that scandals come,but woe to the man through whom scandal does come".

10>"See that you do not despise one of these little ones,for I tell you,their angels in heaven always behold the face of my Father in heaven".

May the Lord have mercy on their souls

I suspect Bishop Murphy of Long Island is next.

Axios

Hello all:

I have a problem, too, Robert, with those who call pedophilia an illness or sickness. I call it sin, of course, but also a disorder . But for whatever reason these individuals develop the disorder, they DO have a responsibility to others and to God to change their behavior. I used to treat sex offenders, and disordered really sums it all up.

But what also upsets me is the media exaggerating the incidents of pedophilia when in actuality the majority of the cases are actually pederasty or hebophilia (attraction to adolescents). From my experience as a clinician I see a connection between these forms of deviance and homosexuality (although it is definitely not PC to say this). Do not get the impression that I condone or excuse any of these behaviors - I do not, and I believe Church teaching on these points. But I also believe that the current state of affairs is the fruit of rebellion and lack of adherence to Church teaching from the seminary onward for many years.

Slava Isusu Christu!
Glenn

First of all, I apologize if I gave the impression that I did not consider this to be grave sin, because I do. I used the term illness strictly to label a sick behavior resulting from the consequences from original sin. I certainly wasn't intending to be politically correct. I'm one of the first to say "I do not hear the word SIN enough from the pulpit." Sorry I wasn't too clear in my earlier post.

I totally agree with the post that the problem begins in the seminary. There is too much of an absorption of worldliness rather than solid, Catholic and Apostolic teaching; and based on my own experience, there is more "orthodoxy" being taught and shared in the postings on this forum, than comes from many a Catholic pulpit.

+ Peace,
V

Well, I would not take the opinions on an internet forum (even as good as this can be at times) as being anyway a substitute for the Liturgical and Pedogogical life of either the Catholic orrthodox Churches.

Also on that word "politically correct" It is not only being overused in many circles but is often a conservative attempt to lump people with differing views together and stop debate. I find it unhelpful personally.

For what that is worth.