Bernard Cardinal Law
Bernard Francis Cardinal Law (born November 4, 1931) became archbishop of the Catholic Church's Boston archdiocese in 1984. The Vatican announced on December 13, 2002 that the Pope had accepted Law's resignation as archbishop, though he retains his rank of Cardinal, conferred in the consistory of 1985.Voice of the Faithful and others have put Law under enormous public pressure to resign after church documents revealed his extensive role in covering up incidents of pedophilia and other sex crimes committed by priests in his archdiocese. These crimes are now part of a larger Catholic priests' sex abuse scandal in America.
Cardinal Bernard Law moved Father Paul Shanley from parish to parish despite repeated allegations that he was molesting children. This supposedly celibate priest even advocated the North American Man-Boy Love Association. Parents in the new parishes did not know they had to protect their sons from him. The Cardinal says he didn't keep proper records.