Calls for the archbishop of Boston to resign are increasing amid new evidence that Bernard Cardinal Law protected known pedophile priests. Law says he will stay on.
Documents released April 8 showed that Law had for years ignored warnings that the Rev. Paul Shanley was molesting boys. Law also helped Shanley transfer to a California ministry. The documents provided further evidence that Law had failed to censure a convicted pedophile priest, John J. Geoghan.
Many who had argued against calls for Law’s resignation are now insisting he step down. “Law cannot ignore that too large a portion of the community has lost its faith in his leadership,” The Boston Globe said in an April 10 editorial. “Cardinal Law should resign.”
“My desire is to serve this Archdiocese and the whole Church with every fiber of my being,” Law wrote in an April 12 letter to priests of the archdiocese. “This I will continue to do as long as God gives me the opportunity.”
Church-law expert Richard Hammar says clergy sexual abuse is not exclusively a Catholic problem. “These recent scandals have occurred because of an inadequate response to credible allegations of misconduct,” he told Christianity Today. “The important lesson for Protestants and evangelicals is that the same kind of indifference pervades their own churches.”
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Related Elsewhere
Also appearing on our site today:
‘A Time of Justice’California congregation plays critical role in arrest of sex abuser.
Related recent news articles include:
Law: Issue Of Resignation Not Addressed At Summit — WCVB Boston (April 25, 2002)
Chicago archbishop says no discussion of Law resignation — Associated Press (April 23, 2002)
Archbishop: No Talk of Law Quitting — Associated Press (April 23, 2002)
Cardinal’s job at stake as talks begin at Vatican — The Globe and Mail (April 23, 2002)
Report: Cardinals May Seek Law’s Resignation — Orlando Sentinel (April 22, 2002)
Cardinal Law Seen as an Issue in Rome— The New York Times (April 22, 2002)
Yahoo’s full coverage area on clergy abuse offers links to news stories and opinion pieces from media around the world.
Both The Boston Globe and Boston Herald have special areas of their Web sites devoted to covering the clergy abuse scandals.
In March, a Christianity Today online exclusive looked at how the clergy sexual abuse scandal affects evangelical churches. Sin and secrecy aren’t limited to Roman Catholics, say pastors and scholars.
The Linkup, a group for survivors of clergy abuse, keeps a close eye on “black collar crimes” around the country.
Christianity Today articles on church sexual abuse include:
A Preventable TragedyEvangelicals must not pretend to be immune to sexual sin by clergy or volunteers. (April 16, 2002)
Campaigner Says Churches Ignore Child AbusePresident of ECPAT accuses clergy and church workers of perpetrating child abuse.
Pain ReliefThe Christian & Missionary Alliance apologizes to adults abused as missionary kids in Africa. (July 12, 1999)
Church Nearly Closed After Lawsuit (July 13, 1998)
From Trauma to TruthOnce-abused children demand accountability. (Apr. 27, 1998)
Sexual Abuse in Churches Not Limited to Clergy (Oct. 6, 1997)
Molestation Damages Total $119 Million (Sept. 1, 1997)
Christianity Today sister publication Leadership Journal’s “Safe at Church” recommendations provide important practical steps to minimize the risk of sexual misconduct and to keep children safe. Last summer, Leadership Journal published “Confronted with the ShamefulHow you should respond—legally and responsibly—when a staff member is accused of child molestation.”
Mike Woodruff, a coauthor of the Leadership article, wrote a similar article for the journal Youthworker. “Youth workers are at greater risk for sexual improprieties than most,” he wrote. He gives many very helpful tips for staying above reproach.
Richard Hammar and the Institute for Christian Leadership have several tools for teaching churches how to reduce the risk of child sexual abuse.
