By Joanne Ball, Globe Staff, 5/22/1988

hen then-Bishop Bernard F. Law came to Boston in March 1984, expectations were high that the new leader of the Boston Roman Catholic Archdiocese would begin a new and healing chapter in the city's long and troubled history of racial relations.

Until recently the approach of Cardinal Law to racial tensions in Boston has been low-key and behind the scenes, a seeming preference on his part for quiet diplomacy rather than using the pulpit.

Today, however, the city's crisis over the proposed integration of public housing -- arguably the most serious racial problem to erupt since the cardinal's arrival -- has changed all that.

A city councilor's public letter asking the cardinal to move the location of a South Boston prayer service for racial harmony, scheduled for this afternoon, has thrust the Boston prelate into the midst of the storm, forcing him to play a more visible role.

Donald Polk, president of the Urban League of Eastern Massachusetts, in characterizing the cardinal's position as "emerging," articulated the views of several members of the city's civil rights community.

Last Friday, Cardinal Law issued a statement backing the efforts of the clergy from South Boston and other neighborhoods to go ahead with the 3 p.m. interfaith worship service at St. Monica's Church in South Boston.

In the statement, he reiterated his stance that public housing must be accessible to all and mildly chastised City Councilor James M. Kelly, an ardent opponent of public housing integration. Kelly, in an open letter published in last week's South Boston Tribune, said holding the service in South Boston would unfairly point an accusatory finger at that neighborhood and its residents.

"Publicity surrounding this service has unfortunately focused on its location in a way which could lead to the erroneous impression that racial discrimination is a problem of geography, which it is not," the cardinal wrote. "Racial discrimination is a problem of the human heart."

The cardinal's show of support of the clergy buttressed sentiments he expressed in a Jan. 23 letter read to South Boston parishioners, which stressed:

"There is too much at stake for us to let our communities become divided by blind emotion. Every one of us should be united in wanting the best for all citizens whatever their racial, ethnic or religious background. Every one of us should seek a reasonable, calm, open and fair resolution of the issue affecting public housing in South Boston."

Without question, the cardinal is considered a popular and respected spiritual leader of the 2 million Catholics in the archdiocese. Upon his arrival, his charismatic style easily evoked comparisons with Cardinal Richard Cushing and President John F. Kennedy.

Recently, his establishment of the Office of Black Catholics, to recognize and nurture this often-neglected minority and other immigrant groups within the church, has been viewed as particularly far-reaching.

Nevertheless, there has been some disappointment expressed by Catholics and non-Catholics alike who would like him to set a more forceful tone decrying racism and fostering understanding and unity, thereby stemming any potential outbreak of racial hostility.

Cardinal Law's years as a priest in rural Mississippi, followed by his experiences in the diocese of Springfield, Mo., served to heighten expectations that he would chart an aggressive course in this area.

"I would have liked to have seen the cardinal out front earlier, but I'm appreciative of what he's doing now. If it had been done earlier, it might have prevented some of this stuff from taking place now," Polk said.

"We have the prospect that both justice and peace will be served . . . . He came to Boston with that reputation and I would like to see more of that."

A black clergyman, who asked not to be named, was critical of what he perceived as the cardinal's lack of leadership. "I have not seen him out front. In South Boston, he has not been apparent in the organizing of this service."

The minister continued: "I'm disappointed because of all the fuss they made about his civil rights record before he came, but to date we have have not seen anything that's tangible."

"People's expectations are very high, with good reason," said Robert P. Gittens, chairman of the Black Catholic Advisory Committee of the archdiocese. "The history of the city of Boston, with its racial problems, has shown it's a very difficult issue to deal with. These are deeply held feelings with everybody involved and there are no quick or simple solutions."

Boston's turbulent handling of school desegregation in the 1970s -- with much of the turbulence occurring in South Boston -- demonstrated all too clearly that some of the city's Catholics, when it concerned matters of race and neighborhood encroachment, could be uncompromising and unreceptive, even to their religious leaders.

The late Cardinal Humberto Medeiros, Cardinal Law's predecessor, was spurned in South Boston after he spoke out against the ugly reactions to busing, and subsequently questioned his ability to influence the situation.

"In his own way, he's doing an awful lot of healing," Rev. William C. Francis, pastor of St. Paul's in Dorchester, said of Cardinal Law's role.

"I think the real people of Southie are going to hear him, really hear him. I saw him at a meeting in South Boston before he sent that Jan. 23 letter and I felt he was extremely sensitive to the needs and the feelings of the people of South Boston.

"At the same time, truth is truth and he's not going to back away from the truth -- the right of anyone to live where they want to live," said Father Francis.

He said he didn't think the opposition to the integration of public housing in South Boston was prompted by "racism. I think it's people tired of being pushed around."

"There are a lot of us that feel comfortable with his leadership," said Rev. Walter J. Waldron, pastor of St. Patrick's Church in Roxbury, "that when we engage in anything that improves race relations we don't have to look over our shoulders.

"Priests, sisters and lay people don't have to question if we're going too far."

Gittens said the cardinal has encouraged the participation of the black laity in the Boston archdiocese -- numbering about 25,000 -- who now have their own office in the chancery, staffed by a full-time director.

"The activities of the advisory committee and the establishment of the Office of Black Catholics," Gittens said, "sends a message of the cardinal's feeling of the importance of black Catholics to Catholics and everybody else . . . . The work that we do hopefully will foster a better racial climate."

Alex Rodriguez, executive director of the Massachusetts Commission Against Discrimination, said any judgment made of Cardinal Law's tenure in Boston should be based on spiritual, not secular, standards.

"He has spoken out against racism and segregation as repugnant and not in the moral teachings of the Catholic Church . . . . When he came to Boston he said his job was to save souls and to lead the flock. When it comes to salvation," Rodriguez said, "he's doing that. The rest of us are trying to get integrated housing.

"I'm always amazed why people expect so much from Cardinal Law."

This story ran in the Boston Globe on 5/22/1988.
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