Media criticized during Mass

By Greg Sukiennik, Associated Press, 5/19/02

| Complete coverage |  AG'S REPORT Attorney General Thomas F. Reilly released the results of a 16-month investigation into clergy sex abuse in the Boston archdiocese. Download report [PDF, 1.4 MB] (File requires Adobe Acrobat)  TODAY'S GLOBE A new leader reaches out 3 faces in crowd bound in hopeh At BC, students watch with awe O'Malley's homily reveals frank man Near cathedral, voices of protest 'Good priests' moved to tears Text of Archbishop O'Malley's homily Sandwiches, chips were bill of fare An angry protest, and prayers  GRAPHICS The moment of installation Viewer's guide Ceremony TV coverage  Processional O'Malley's vestments O'Malley's coat of arms Cathedral of the Holy Cross  REALVIDEO | NECN.com | Help with video | O'Malley to be installed today Great expectations of O'Malley Video clips require RealPlayer and Windows 98 or higher.  INTERACTIVE FEATURE An interactive timeline of the developing church crisis, featuring photos and audio.   View timeline  IN-DEPTH Boston's new archbishop Bishop Sean Patrick O'Malley has been chosen to succeed Cardinal Law as leader of the archdiocese. Reaction to O'Malley appointment Accused priests are vindicated Three priests have been exonerated after being suspended from their posts over abuse allegations.  CARDINAL BERNARD LAW Coverage of his resignation Career timeline: Priest to cardinal Changing statements on abuse Coverage of his tenure in Boston Photos: Law through the years Boston.com readers' comments  CONTACT SPOTLIGHT If you have information on child abuse by priests, call (617) 929-3208 Or leave a confidential message at this number (617) 929-7483 The Spotlight Team e-mail address is spotlight@globe.com.

BOSTON -- Cardinal Bernard Law said in a letter distributed to parishes Sunday that he did not become aware until 1993 of sexual abuse allegations against the Rev. Paul Shanley, who is facing criminal charges of molesting boys.

Law said he was not aware of allegations against Shanley dating to the 1960s until a few months ago.

He also said that he could not remember a Newton woman telling him after a Mass in 1984 that Shanley, who advocated sex between men and boys, had molested a child. The woman who made the claim did not immediately return a phone message Sunday.

Law, who has been under pressure to resign as documents detailing the archdiocese's handling of priests accused of sexual misconduct have been made public, again apologized for past errors in judgment, saying there was never an intent to put children at risk.

"When I arrived in Boston in 1984, I assumed that priests in place had been appropriately appointed," Law said in the three-page letter.

"It did not enter into my mind to second-guess my predecessors, and it simply was not in the culture of the day to function otherwise. Despite the quantity of documents released and statements on the part of some indicating they know otherwise, before God I assure you that my first knowledge of an allegation of sexual abuse against this priest was in 1993. It was immediately acted upon, and the authorization for him to serve as a priest in California was rescinded."

A spokesman for the Diocese of San Bernardino confirmed Sunday that the diocese did a receive a letter from Boston in October 1993 informing them of allegations of child sexual abuse against Shanley.

Law also wrote that when Shanley left Boston in 1990, it was at his own request for sick leave and had nothing to do with sexual abuse allegations. "The attestation that he was a priest in good standing at the time was in accord with the facts as I knew them," Law wrote.

Calls to Roderick MacLeish, an attorney representing Shanley's alleged victims, were not immediately returned.

Shanley was arrested on May 2 in San Diego and extradited to Massachusetts to face charges he raped a boy over a six-year period in the 1980s.

The archdiocese faces civil suits claiming it knew of allegations against Shanley as early as 1967, yet assigned him to a Newton parish.

In Sunday's letter, Law again apologized for his role in the handling of priests facing allegations of sexual misconduct.

"The scandalous and painful details which have emerged sear our hearts," he wrote. "The harm done to victims and their families is overwhelming. Bewilderment has given rise to anger and mistrust.

In the process, Law said, his credibility has been questioned and he has become "an object of contempt."

Law also called for unity in an archdiocese that has been shaken by mounting allegations.

That echoed statements Law made earlier Sunday as part of his homily during Mass at Cathedral of the Holy Cross, in which he called for unity, peace and forgiveness.

Law did not specifically cite the clergy sexual abuse scandal, but he used the religious themes of Pentecost Sunday -- the day Catholics believe the disciples received the Holy Spirit -- to call for unity.

In an unusual development, he also briefly criticized the media, during comments on the endowment of Boston Catholic Television.

Without addressing specifics, Law appeared to criticize published reports that some of the $31 million in the BCTV's coffers could be used to pay settlements to victims of sexual abuse.

An archdiocese official has been quoted as saying it was possible, but unlikely, that BCTV's funds could be used in a settlement.

Law thanked BCTV for its service to the archdiocese, and said taking money from its coffers would damage its ability to function.

Outside the cathedral, about two dozen protesters continued to call for Law to resign. Some shouted or booed as Law walked to his car.

Law also brought an end to a special nine-day period of prayer, known as a Novena, dedicated to the victims of clergy abuse and their families.