Cardinal Bernard Law, the US former archbishop who became a symbol of the Roman Catholic Church’s systematic protection of paedophile priests because of his failure to stop abuse in Boston, has died. He was 86.

The Vatican announced in a statement that Law had died early on Wednesday morning after being ill and treated in hospital.

Pope Francis did not reference the abuse scandal in his statement on Law’s passing, saying that he prayed that God “who is rich in mercy” may welcome Law in “His eternal peace”.

The funeral will be held on Thursday at St Peter’s Basilica.

At the height of his long career, Law was one of the most powerful American leaders of the church and was beloved by the conservative pope, John Paul II, under whom he also served.



But he became the public face of the church’s clerical abuse scandal in 2002, when exhaustive investigative reporting by the Boston Globe found that Law had repeatedly moved abusive priests from parish to parish when he became aware that they were molesting children.

Law at first refused to be drawn into the scandal. But the Globe’s reporting overwhelmed the church and he was forced to resign. He sought forgiveness but never faced criminal charges in the US for his repeated failure to protect children in Boston who were subjected to abuse.

“To all those who have suffered from my shortcomings and mistakes, I both apologise and from them beg forgiveness,” Law said when he stepped down in December 2002.

While he said it was his prayer that his archdiocese could begin to heal following his resignation, it was only the beginning for the church, which 15 years later still suffers from the taint of the scandal.

What began as a local controversy, confined to Boston, a Catholic stronghold, would later spread worldwide, as it became clear that other senior church leaders – like Law – had routinely put the protection of the church’s reputation before the protection of children. The Globe’s reporting of the story became the subject of an Oscar-winning film, Spotlight.



The Vatican outraged victims of abuse and the activists who support them when it decided to pluck Law out of his archdiocese and bring him to Rome, where he enjoyed his retirement and could be seen at functions and parties.

In 2004, he was appointed archpriest of the Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore, one of four principal basilicas in Rome. When John Paul died the next year, Law was among bishops who presided at a memorial mass for the pontiff in St Peter’s Basilica.

Advocates for victims saw the post as a sign that the church was still failing to acknowledge the gravity of the abuse scandal and was failing to take responsibility for the actions of its leaders.

Law’s successor, Cardinal Sean O’Malley, acknowledged the scandal in his statement about Law’s death, saying it would bring forth a “wide range of emotions on the part of many people”.

“I am particularly cognisant of all who experienced the trauma of sexual abuse by clergy, whose lives were so seriously impacted by those crimes, and their families and loved ones. To those men and women, I offer my sincere apologies for the harm they suffered.”

He added that Law served at a time when the church “failed seriously” in its mission to provide pastoral care for people, with tragic outcomes.He also defended “other dimensions” of Law’s life, including his early role in the US civil rights movement in Mississippi.

Since 1950, more than 6,500 American priests – or about 6% – have been accused of abusing children, and the US church has paid more than $3bn in settlements to victims, according to studies commissioned by US bishops and media reports.

Today, under a new pope, the church continues to face intense criticism.

This year, Cardinal George Pell, who served as the secretariat of the economy under Pope Francis, the third most senior position in the Vatican hierarchy, was charged with sexual abuse in his native Australia on charges that date back decades. He became the most senior member of the clergy to face criminal allegations.

Pell, who has denied the charges, has taken leave from his position while he defends himself in court.

In 2013, Pope Francis created a commission to help the church tackle abuse and set new policies to ensure that bishops and other leaders would be held accountable if they sought to protect paedophile priests.

The Commission for the Protection of Minors has faced intense criticism – including from two abuse survivors and former commission members who have resigned in protest – for not doing enough. The commission has lapsed into an inactive state and it is unclear whether its members will have their status renewed.

The church has reportedly suggested that the issue represents nothing more than a bureaucratic problem.

An editorial in the National Catholic Reporter, a US Catholic news website, has called the lapse “worrisome” and suggests the protection of children is not as high a priority to the church as the pope has suggested.

“A lack of an official response sends a tone-deaf and disappointing message to Catholics and the world. It points to the causal negligence at the heart of the scandal that has plagued the church for decades and demonstrates why the church can’t shake allegations that its leaders ‘just don’t get it’,” the editorial said.