Law says a Mass for John Paul II

VATICAN CITY -- Cardinal Bernard F. Law, seated on a gilded white throne and wearing a funereal red chasuble with a broad golden stripe, yesterday said a Mass of mourning for Pope John Paul II despite objections from clergy abuse victims.

As an intermittent rain pounded the cobblestones outside, several thousand Catholics packed St. Peter's Basilica for the fourth in nine days of formal mourning for the pope, who died April 2. Many in the congregation said they did not know who Law is or did not recognize him as the celebrant; several people interviewed who did recognize him said they appreciated his presence.

Two American women who say they were sexually abused by Catholic priests, and who now play leadership roles in the nation's major victim-advocacy organization, attempted to protest Law's appearance by handing out leaflets to passersby in St. Peter's Square. But, after the president of the group, Barbara Blaine of Chicago, was surrounded by a scrum of several dozen camera crews, photographers, and reporters, police formed a cordon between her and the media and then forced the entire ensemble of nearly 100 people out of the square.

''We should be able to focus on the Holy Father's death, but Cardinal Law's presence is putting the sex abuse scandal front and center," Blaine, president of the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, said earlier. ''When he puts himself out in that public position, it's rubbing salt in open wounds."

Law, a former archbishop of Boston who resigned in 2002 amid criticism that he had failed to remove abusive priests from the ministry, was apparently chosen by Vatican officials to celebrate the Mass because of his current position as archpriest of the Basilica of St. Mary Major, one of the four patriarchal basilicas of Rome. The heads of other basilicas also are celebrating the memorial Masses. Described by the Vatican as the ''archbishop emeritus of Boston," Law is the only American prelate celebrating one of the nine formal mourning Masses, known by their Italian name, ''novendiali."

''The novendiali is not an honorary thing," said the Rev. Thomas Williams, dean of theology at Rome's Regina Apostolorum Pontifical University. ''It is protocol. It has nothing to do with his merits; it is simply his role as archpriest."

Law focused his homily, in Italian, on how John Paul II's visits to the basilicas illustrated the pope's theological priorities by comparing the pontiff's actions to those of the saints for whom the basilicas are named. He was interrupted by applause once during the 13-minute homily, when he paid tribute to John Paul II's longtime personal secretary, Archbishop Stanislaw Dziwisz, who concelebrated the Mass.

''In these incredible days, the pope continues to teach us what it means to be a disciple, a follower of Christ," Law said. ''Our faith and our hope are reinforced in the sight of young Karol Wojtyla reflected in the young pilgrims . . . from Poland and Italy and numerous other countries."

Only one of the eight cardinals who head American dioceses was present at the Mass: Cardinal Justin F. Rigali of Philadelphia. It was not clear why the other cardinals did not attend; all the cardinals have agreed to stop speaking to the news media until after the election of the next pope.

At the end of a news conference in Rome on Friday, however, Cardinal Francis E. George of Chicago took note of the criticism directed at Law in Boston, telling a Globe reporter, ''If people are hurt, it is a legitimate voice that has to be listened to and respected."

Asked about objections to Law voting for a new pope, George said, ''We have to live with the rules, which say he [Law] is a member of the College of Cardinals and therefore votes."

Archbishop Sean P. O'Malley of Boston, who is in Rome, did not attend the Mass.

But among the priests assisting at Mass was Law's secretary, Monsignor Paul B. McInerny, director of Boston Catholic Television, who had served as Law's secretary in Boston and who was recently appointed by the Catholic Archdiocese of Boston to assist Law and to study canon law in Rome.

The victim advocates who protested the Mass said Law's role as a presider at a prominent church event was inappropriate because it caused pain to victims of clergy sexual abuse. The two victims later attended the Mass, saying they wanted to know what was happening and also to pay tribute to the late pope; they did not attempt to disrupt the service.

Blaine and Barbara Dorris of St. Louis, SNAP's outreach coordinator, said they have sent letters to all the American cardinals, asking them to speak against Law's role, but have heard no response. They said they will stay in Rome for a few days and urge church officials to choose a pope who will be attentive to abuse victims, but said they did not know how exactly they would go about getting attention from prelates.

Several people who attended the Mass said they saw no problem with Law's participation.

''I don't think he should be blamed," said Neil Flanagan, a 33-year-old police officer from Wigan, England, who did not recognize Law at first but, after being asked by a reporter, said he had seen Law recently on television.

Claudio Sferra, 25, of Rome, praised Law, saying: ''I think he is really good in the way he talks and expresses himself. I heard [about the scandal], and I think it is absurd. It is the priests' fault. I don't think he is at fault."

And Nicola Gratta, 69, of Bari, Italy, said simply, ''If the pope kept him he had good reasons."

But an Israeli scholar of religious studies who attended the Mass expressed shock to see Law on the papal altar, which was underneath a 90-foot-high bronze canopy, called a baldachin, designed by Bernini.

''For American Catholics, this must be considered a lack of sensitivity," said Evyatar Marienberg, a postdoctoral fellow at Tel Aviv University.

A Massachusetts family who came upon the Mass while sightseeing in Rome expressed surprise at Law's presence.

''I just don't know where he is in his standing in the church right now," said Alfred Corneau, 57, of Franklin.

And Colin Owens, 32, a Boston native who currently lives in London, said: ''I'm ambivalent. I wondered what happened to him after everything went down. But he's part of the church, and it's not like he himself was a person committing acts."

Kristie Jeffries, a 26-year-old youth minister from Atlanta who flew to Rome to attend the pope's funeral, said she didn't focus on Law's role because she attended the Mass to mourn a pope she loved.

''Because I'm not a Bostonian, it's easier to separate his actions in the past and the event today," she said.

''Today is about honoring the Holy Father and praying for the church. The Mass was beautiful and a chance to remember Pope John Paul, but also I pray for the people of Boston, because I recognize there's a lot of hurt there."

Globe correspondent Sofia Celeste and Charles M. Sennott of the Globe staff contributed to this report.