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Catholic lay group seeks ouster of Boston cardinal©Associated PressDecember 12, 2002 NEWTON, Mass. -- A Catholic reform group called for Cardinal Bernard Law's resignation Wednesday, joining a growing chorus of dissent against the leader of the scandal-plagued Boston Archdiocese. Voice of the Faithful said recent revelations detailing the extent of the crisis left them with no choice but to publicly declare the archdiocese in need of new leadership. "There is a state of spiritual and moral crisis in the Archdiocese of Boston," said Jim Post, president of Voice of the Faithful, which claims a national membership of 25,000. "In my judgment, the Archdiocese of Boston has effectively been without a bishop." Seventy-one members, each representing parishes in the Boston diocese, voted for the motion calling for Law to step down, two were opposed and two abstained. A motion calling on the pope to replace Law also passed by an overwhelming margin. The vote follows the recent release of thousands of pages of archdiocese personnel files containing allegations that, in addition to molesting young boys, some priests abused drugs and had illicit affairs. It also comes as pressure mounts among Law's fellow priests to step down from the archdiocese he has led for nearly two decades. Law has been at the Vatican this week meeting with church hierarchy amid speculation he may resign or get approval to declare bankruptcy in a bid to keep the Boston Archdiocese from financial ruin. The action by Voice of the Faithful, which was started in the basement of a Wellesley church soon after the scandal erupted in January, is significant because for months its leaders have resisted pressure from many members to demand Law's resignation. Dissent is also growing among the clergy. Fifty-eight priests delivered a letter to Law's residence Monday asking him to resign, and more priests have endorsed the document since. Separately, the 300-member Boston Priests Forum may issue its own resolution urging Law's resignation at a meeting Friday. There are 912 priests in the archdiocesan ranks, a third of them retired, plus 732 clergymen belonging to religious orders. If pastors who lead a significant number of Boston parishes join the revolt, it could be difficult for Law to govern the archdiocese effectively. The scandal has engulfed Boston for almost a year and pressure on Law has only increased since the archdiocese was forced to release 11,000 church personnel documents to attorneys representing hundreds of alleged victims. So far lawyers have released about 5,400 of the documents in piecemeal fashion. They contain allegations of misconduct against 65 priests and suggest rogue clergy used drugs, abused young people -- boys and girls -- and, in one case, assaulted a housekeeper. The files released Wednesday detail accusations against about a dozen priests, including one who allegedly molested a boy on 21 consecutive nights during a cross-country trip. Earlier Wednesday, the Rev. Paul Shanley, a central figure in the clergy sex abuse scandal, was freed on $300,000 bail put up by a group of friends, relatives and supporters. Shanley, 71, who has pleaded innocent to 10 counts of child rape, had spent seven months in jail. The retired priest must remain in Massachusetts and cannot have contact with anyone under 16, or with alleged victims or witnesses.
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