Editing Bernard Francis Law

{{Short description|Catholic cardinal}}
{{Redirect|Cardinal Law|the quasi-constitution enacted in Warsaw, Poland|Cardinal Laws}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=October 2015}}
{{Infobox Christian leader
| type = Cardinal
| honorific-prefix = [[His Eminence]]
| name = Bernard Francis Law
| honorific-suffix = 
| title = [[Cardinal (Catholic Church)|Cardinal]]<br />[[Archpriest]] emeritus of the [[Basilica di Santa Maria Maggiore]]<br />[[Archdiocese of Boston|Archbishop emeritus of Boston]]
| image = Bernard Francis Law.jpg
| caption = Law in the mid-1980s
| alt = A black-and-white photo of Law's face
| province = 
| diocese = 
| archdiocese = [[Archdiocese of Boston|Boston]]
| appointed = January 11, 1984
| term_start = March 23, 1984
| ended = December 13, 2002
| predecessor = [[Humberto Sousa Medeiros|Humberto Sousa Cardinal Medeiros]]
| successor = [[Seán Patrick O'Malley|Seán Patrick Cardinal O'Malley]]
| other_post = [[Santa Susanna|Cardinal-Priest of Santa Susanna]]
| ordination = May 21, 1961
| ordained_by = [[Egidio Vagnozzi]]
| consecration = December 5, 1973
| consecrated_by = [[Joseph Bernard Brunini]], [[William Wakefield Baum]], and [[Joseph Bernardin]]
| cardinal = May 25, 1985
| rank = Cardinal-Priest
| created_cardinal_by = [[Pope John Paul II|John Paul II]]
| birth_name = 
| birth_date = {{Birth date|1931|11|04|mf=y}}
| birth_place = [[Torreón]], [[Coahuila]], [[Mexico]]
| death_date = {{Death date and age|2017|12|20|1931|11|04|mf=y}}
| death_place = [[Rome]], [[Italy]]
| buried = 
| nationality = American
| religion = [[Catholic Church]]
| previous_post = {{unbulleted list|[[Roman Catholic Diocese of Springfield–Cape Girardeau|Bishop of Springfield-Cape Girardeau]] (1973–1984)|[[Archdiocese of Boston|Archbishop of Boston]] (1984–2002)}}
| profession = 
| alma_mater = 
| signature = 
| coat_of_arms = 
| motto = To live is Christ
| education = Harvard University
}}
{{Infobox Cardinal styles
| cardinal name  = Bernard Francis Law
| image          = Coat of arms of Bernard Francis Law.svg
| image_size     = 200px
| dipstyle       = [[His Eminence]]
| offstyle       = Your Eminence
| relstyle       = [[Cardinal (Catholic Church)|Cardinal]]
| See            = [[Archdiocese of Boston|Boston]] ([[Emeritus]])
}}
{{Ordination
| consecrated by = [[Joseph Bernard Brunini]] ([[Diocese of Jackson|Jackson]])
| date of consecration = December 5, 1973
| bishop 1 = Tomás Andrés Mauro Muldoon
| consecration date 1 = October 8, 1984
| bishop 2 = [[Robert Joseph Banks]]
| consecration date 2 = September 19, 1985
| bishop 3 = [[Roberto González Nieves]]
| consecration date 3 = October 3, 1988
| bishop 4 = John Richard McNamara
| consecration date 4 = May 21, 1992
| bishop 5 = [[John Patrick Boles]]
| consecration date 5 = May 21, 1992
| bishop 6 = [[John Brendan McCormack]]
| consecration date 6 = December 27, 1995
| bishop 7 = [[William Murphy (Bishop of Rockville Centre)|William Francis Murphy]]
| consecration date 7 = December 27, 1995
| bishop 8 = [[Francis Xavier Irwin]]
| consecration date 8 = September 17, 1996
| bishop 9 = [[Emilio S. Allué|Emilio Simeon Alluè]]
| consecration date 9 = September 17, 1996
| bishop 10 = [[Richard Joseph Malone]]
| consecration date 10 = March 1, 2000
| bishop 11 = [[Walter James Edyvean]]
| consecration date 11 = September 14, 2001
| bishop 12 = [[Richard Lennon|Richard Gerard Lennon]]
| consecration date 12 = September 14, 2001
}}
'''Bernard Francis Cardinal Law''' (November 4, 1931&nbsp;– December 20, 2017) was an American [[prelate]] of the [[Catholic Church]] who, among other offices, served as [[Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Boston|Archbishop of Boston]] from 1984 to 2002. Originally considered an influential voice among [[Catholic Church in the United States|American Catholic hierarchy]] and the wider [[Boston]] society as a supporter of church orthodoxy and [[social justice]], along with his work in [[ecumenism]] and [[civil rights]], his image was dramatically changed after the [[Catholic Archdiocese of Boston sex abuse scandal|2002 exposé]] of his involvement in covering up the serial rape of children by Catholic priests, which led to his resignation as Archbishop of Boston in December of that year.<ref name="NYT"></ref> Prior to that office, Law served as [[Roman Catholic Diocese of Springfield–Cape Girardeau|Bishop of Springfield–Cape Girardeau]] from 1973 to 1984. He also served as [[Cardinal (Catholic Church)#Cardinal priests|Cardinal Priest]] of [[Santa Susanna]] from 1985 to his death in 2017, and as [[archpriest]] of the [[Basilica di Santa Maria Maggiore]] from 2004 to 2011, these being largely ceremonial roles.

Law was [[Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Boston|Archbishop of Boston]] from March 1984 until his resignation on December 13, 2002, after his involvement in the [[Catholic Archdiocese of Boston sex abuse scandal|Archdiocese of Boston sex abuse scandal]] became public knowledge. Law was proven to have ignored or concealed the molestation of many underage children;<ref>{{cite news|last1=Paulson|first1=Michael|title=A church seeks healing|url=https://www.bostonglobe.com/news/special-reports/2002/12/14/church-seeks-healing/WJS0tI6gQP8zQAHjAHVhmL/story.html|work= [[Boston Globe]] |date= December 14, 2002}}</ref><ref>{{cite press release| website= vatican.va| publisher= The Vatican| url= http://press.vatican.va/content/salastampa/it/bollettino/pubblico/2002/12/13/0620/01982.html | title= Rinuncia dell'Arcivescovo di Boston (U.S.A.)| language= it| trans-title= Renouncement and Nomination| date= December 13, 2002| access-date= December 21, 2017}}</ref> Church documents demonstrate that he had extensive knowledge of widespread child sexual abuse committed by dozens of [[Priesthood in the Catholic Church|Catholic priests]] in his [[archdiocese]] over almost two decades; he failed to report these crimes to the authorities, instead merely [[Parish transfers of abusive Catholic priests|transferring the accused priests between parishes]].<ref name="Globe1">{{cite news |title= Church allowed abuse by priest for years|url=https://www.bostonglobe.com/news/special-reports/2002/01/06/church-allowed-abuse-priest-for-years/cSHfGkTIrAT25qKGvBuDNM/story.html|access-date=December 5, 2015| work= Boston Globe|date=January 6, 2002}}</ref> One priest in Law's archdiocese, [[John Geoghan]], [[raped]] or [[Child sexual abuse|molested]] more than 130 children in six different parishes in a career of 30 years.<ref name="Globe1" /> Law was widely denounced for his handling of the sexual abuse cases, and outside the church his public image was destroyed in the aftermath of the scandal.

Two years after Law resigned from his position in Boston, which Bishop [[William S. Skylstad|William Skylstad]] called "an important step in the healing process",<ref>{{cite news|last1=Paulson|first1=Michael|title=A church seeks healing|url=https://www.bostonglobe.com/news/special-reports/2002/12/14/church-seeks-healing/WJS0tI6gQP8zQAHjAHVhmL/story.html |work= Boston Globe|date=December 4, 2002}}</ref> [[Pope John Paul II]] appointed him [[Archpriest]] of the [[Basilica di Santa Maria Maggiore]] in Rome in 2004. He resigned the position upon reaching age 80 in November 2011, and died in Rome on December 20, 2017 at age 86.

==Early life and education==
Law was born in  [[Torreón]], [[Coahuila]], [[Mexico]], on November 4, 1931,<ref name="Obit" /> the only child of Bernard Aloysius Law (1890–1955)<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.geni.com/people/Colonel-Bernard-Law/6000000072375893070|publisher=Geni.com|title=Colonel Bernard Aloysius Law|year=1890 }}</ref><ref name="CUA">{{cite web|title=Bernard Francis Law Papers|publisher=The Catholic University of America|access-date=December 20, 2017|url=http://archives.lib.cua.edu/findingaid/law.cfm|website=CUA.edu|location=Washington, DC|language=en|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170903142514/http://archives.lib.cua.edu/findingaid/law.cfm|archive-date=September 3, 2017|url-status=dead|df=mdy-all}}</ref> and Helen A. Law (née Stubblefield; 1911–1991).<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.geni.com/people/Helen-Law/6000000072375642145|publisher=Geni.com|title=Helen A. Law|date=August 2, 1911 }}</ref><ref name="NYT">{{cite web|last= McFadden |first= Robert D.|title=Bernard Law, Powerful Cardinal Disgraced by Priest Abuse Scandal, Dies at 86| url= https://www.nytimes.com/2017/12/19/obituaries/cardinal-bernard-law-dead.html|work= [[The New York Times]]|date=December 19, 2017}}</ref> His father was a United States Air Force colonel and a veteran pilot of [[World War I]].<ref name="CUA" />

Law grew up on military bases in the United States and Latin America.<ref name="NYT"/> He attended schools in [[New York (state)|New York]]; [[Florida]]; [[Georgia (U.S. state)|Georgia]];  [[Barranquilla|Barranquilla, Colombia]]; and graduated from [[Charlotte Amalie High School]] in [[Saint Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands|Saint Thomas]], [[U.S. Virgin Islands]].<ref name=NCR/> While in high school, he was employed by ''[[The Virgin Islands Daily News]]''.<ref name="CNNFF">{{cite web|url=http://www.cnn.com/2013/01/21/us/cardinal-law-fast-facts/index.html|title=Cardinal Bernard Law Fast Facts| publisher= CNN|date= October 11, 2017|access-date=December 19, 2017}}</ref> He graduated from [[Harvard College]] with a major in medieval history before studying philosophy at [[Saint Joseph Seminary College]] in [[St. Benedict, Louisiana]], from 1953 to 1955, and theology at the [[Pontifical College Josephinum]] in [[Worthington, Ohio]], from 1955 to 1961.<ref name="CNNFF"/>

==Priestly ministry in the civil rights era==
On May 21, 1961, Law was [[Holy orders|ordained]] a [[Priesthood in the Catholic Church|priest]] for the [[Natchesium|Diocese of Natchez-Jackson]] in [[Mississippi]].<ref name=NCR /> He served two years as an assistant pastor of St. Paul's Catholic Church in [[Vicksburg, Mississippi]], where he was the editor of ''The Mississippi Register'', the diocesan newspaper.<ref name="Obit" /> He also held several other diocesan posts from 1963 to 1968, including director of the family life bureau and spiritual director of the minor seminary.<ref name="CNNFF"/>

The young Fr. Law was a [[civil rights]] activist.<ref>{{cite book| url= https://archive.org/details/heirsoffisherman00pham | url-access= registration |last= Pham| first= John-Peter| title= Heirs of the Fisherman| page= [https://archive.org/details/heirsoffisherman00pham/page/258 258]| publisher= Oxford University Press| year= 2004| isbn= 9780195346350| via= Internet Archive}}</ref><ref name=Globe>{{cite news| url= http://www.boston.com/globe/spotlight/abuse/extras/law_timeline.htm |work= [[Boston Globe]]| year= 2004| title= Abuse in the Catholic Church| via= Boston.com}}</ref>

He was a member of the Mississippi Leadership Conference and Mississippi Human Relations Council.<ref name=Globe /> For his civil rights activities and his strong positions on civil rights in the ''Mississippi Register'', of which he was editor, he received death threats.<ref name=Globe />
[[Charles Evers]], activist and brother of murdered civil rights activist [[Medgar Evers]], praised Law and said he acted "not for the Negro, but for justice and what is right."<ref name= rest>{{cite news| url= http://www.theamericanconservative.com/dreher/bernard-law-at-rest/| title= Bernard Law, At Rest| first= Rod| last=Dreher| work= theamericanconservative.com| date= December 20, 2017| access-date= December 21, 2017}}</ref>

Law's brave civil rights activity led him to develop ties with Protestant church leaders and he received national attention for his work for ecumenism,<ref name=NCR>{{cite web| url= http://www.ncregister.com/daily-news/cardinal-bernard-francis-law-1931-2017| website= NCRegister.com| title= Cardinal Bernard Francis Law (1931-2017)| date= December 20, 2017| first= Matthew E.| last= Bunson| access-date= December 21, 2017}}</ref> and in 1968 he was tapped for his first national post, as executive director of the US Bishops' [[Committee on Ecumenical and Interreligious Affairs]].<ref name="NYT" />

==Bishop of Springfield–Cape Girardeau==

[[Pope Paul VI]] named Law bishop of the [[Roman Catholic Diocese of Springfield–Cape Girardeau|Diocese of Springfield–Cape Girardeau]] in [[Missouri]] on October 22, 1973, and he was consecrated on December 5 of that year.<ref name="Briggs" /> Law's predecessor in Springfield–Cape Girardeau was [[William Wakefield Baum]], another future cardinal.<ref name="CNNFF" />

In 1975, he arranged for the resettlement in his diocese of 166 Vietnamese refugees who arrived in the United States, and were members of a Vietnamese [[religious congregation]], the [[Congregation of the Mother of the Redeemer|Congregation of the Mother Co-Redemptrix]].<ref name="Obit" />

In continuing his ecumenical work, Law formed the Missouri Christian Leadership Conference.<ref name="MNY">{{cite web|url=http://newyork.cbslocal.com/2017/12/19/cardinal-law-dies/|title=Boston's Controversial Cardinal Law Dies In Rome|publisher=[[CBS]]|access-date=December 19, 2017|date=December 19, 2017}}</ref> He was made a member of the [[Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity|Vatican's Secretariat for Promoting Christian Unity]] and served from 1976 to 1981 as a consultor to its Commission for Religious Relations with the [[Jews]].<ref name="Obit" /> In the late 1970s, Law would also chair the U.S. bishops' Committee on Ecumenical and Interreligious Affairs.<ref name="MNY" />

In 1981, Law was named the Vatican delegate to develop and oversee a program instituted by the [[Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith]] in which [[Episcopal Church (United States)|U.S. Episcopal priests]] would be accepted into the Catholic priesthood.<ref name="FoxBoston">{{cite web|url=http://www.fox25boston.com/news/cardinal-law-former-catholic-archbishop-of-boston-dies-at-86/666368897|title=Cardinal Law, former Catholic Archbishop of Boston, dies at 86, sources say|publisher=Fox Boston|access-date=December 19, 2017|date=December 19, 2017}}{{Dead link|date=September 2023 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> In the program's first year, sixty-four Episcopal priests applied for acceptance.<ref name="FoxBoston" /> This brought married priests with their families into U.S. Roman Catholic dioceses for the first time.<ref name="MNY" />

==Archbishop of Boston==
[[Image:Cardinal Bernard Law-coa.jpg|thumb|left|Coat of arms of Cardinal Bernard Law, with his motto "To live is Christ", in front of [[Santa Susanna]]]]

On January 11, 1984, Law was appointed Archbishop of Boston by Pope John Paul II<ref>{{cite news|last1=Briggs|first1=Kenneth A.|title=An Ecumenical Bishop for Boston|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1984/01/25/us/man-in-the-news-an-eccumenical-bishop-for-boston.html|access-date=October 22, 2017|work=New York Times|date=January 25, 1984}}</ref> and was installed on March 23, 1984.<ref name=Briggs>{{cite news|last1=Briggs|first1=Kenneth A.|title=Archbishop Law Seated as Boston Church Head|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1984/03/24/us/archbishop-law-seated-as-boston-church-head.html|access-date=October 22, 2017|work=New York Times|date=March 24, 1984}}</ref>

That same year, Law reassigned a local priest, Fr [[John Geoghan]], to St. Julia's in Weston, on the recommendation of medical professionals. Geoghan had previously been known to abuse children, and at least one auxiliary bishop in Boston warned Law that the priest was unfit to return to parish ministry.<ref name="Globe1" />

On May 25, 1985, Law was created cardinal, and [[Santa Susanna]] was assigned as his [[titular church]].<ref>{{cite news|language=fr| title=Homélie du Pape Jean-Paul II|url=https://w2.vatican.va/content/john-paul-ii/fr/homilies/1985/documents/hf_jp-ii_hom_19850525_concistoro-unico.html|access-date=October 22, 2017|work=Libreria Editrice Vaticana|date=May 25, 1985}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last1=Dionne Jr.|first1=E.J.|title=28 Consecrated 'Princes of the Church'|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1985/05/26/world/28-consecrated-princes-of-the-church.html|access-date=October 22, 2017|work=New York Times|date=May 26, 1985}}</ref>

In 1985, delivering one of the few speeches in Latin at the Synod of Bishops, he called for the creation of a "universal catechism" to guard against dissent, especially by theologians. He was the second prelate to call for such a document,<ref>{{cite news|last1=Franklin|first1=James L.|title=Cardinal Law asks universal catechism|url=http://archive.boston.com/globe/spotlight/abuse/archives/112785_catechism.htm|access-date=October 22, 2017|work=Boston Globe|date=November 27, 1985}}</ref> which became the ''[[Catechism of the Catholic Church]]'' (1992). Law oversaw the first draft of its English translation.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Steinfels|first1=Peter|title=After Long Delay, a New Catechism Appears in English|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1994/05/28/us/after-long-delay-a-new-catechism-appears-in-english.html|access-date=October 22, 2017|work=New York Times|date=May 28, 1994}}</ref>

In the mid-1980s, Law chaired the bishops' Committee on Pastoral Research and Practices at the time it distributed a [[Letter to U.S. Bishops Concerning Masonry|report on Freemasonry]].<ref name="CNNFF" /> The bishops' report concluded that "the principles and basic rituals of Masonry embody a naturalistic religion, active participation in which is incompatible with Christian faith and practice".<ref name="Obit" />

In 1989, Geoghan was once again removed from ministry due to continued child sex abuse, but was later allowed to return to St Julia's. Further incidents resulted in his permanent removal in 1993, and his [[defrocking]] in 1998.<ref name="Globe1" />

=== Sex abuse scandal exposés ===
{{Main|Sexual abuse scandal in the Catholic archdiocese of Boston}}
In January 2001, Law was named a defendant in several high-profile cases involving pedophile priests, including one involving Geoghan.<ref name="wbur">{{Citation|last=Becker|first=Deborah|title=Irish Catholics Call For Cardinal Law's Resignation, Following Clergy Abuse Report|url=http://www.wbur.org/2010/02/10/irish-priests-followup|year=2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120222041434/http://www.wbur.org/2010/02/10/irish-priests-followup|publisher=[[WBUR-FM]]|access-date=March 23, 2014|archive-date=February 22, 2012}}</ref> Reporter Kristen Lombardi, who was assigned to investigate by Susan Ryan-Vollmar, the editor of the ''[[The Phoenix (newspaper)|Boston Phoenix]]'' weekly,<ref name="Where">{{cite web|url= http://www.wbur.org/news/2015/09/22/cardinal-bernard-law |title= Where Is Cardinal Bernard Law Now? |publisher= WBUR |access-date=December 19, 2017|date=December 19, 2017}}</ref> wrote "Cardinal sin", an article about the cases.<ref name="Obit" />

Mark Keane, a victim of Geoghan, believed that Law had direct knowledge that Geoghan, who worked in the Archdiocese of Boston from 1962 to 1993, was repeatedly molesting children.<ref name="Where" /> Keane said that the archbishop not only allowed the priest to continue working, but repeatedly moved him from parish to parish where he had daily contact with many children (one of whom was Keane).<ref name="Obit" />

Even though abuse by Geoghan had been reported repeatedly in the media since 1996, the new editor of the daily ''[[The Boston Globe|Boston Globe]]'' newspaper [[Martin Baron]] set the ''Spotlight'' investigatory team to work on the case in September 2001.<ref name="CNNFF" /> Lombardi acknowledged that the ''Globe'' may have had the story before she did, but was delayed somewhat pending the release of sealed records.<ref name="Spotlight">{{cite web |url= http://www.bostonmagazine.com/news/blog/2015/10/30/phoenix-globe-spotlight/ |title= Out of the Spotlight: Who Deserves Credit for the Scoop? |work= Boston Magazine |date= October 30, 2015 |first= Kyle |last= Clauss |access-date= November 12, 2015 |archive-date= November 2, 2015 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20151102015343/http://www.bostonmagazine.com/news/blog/2015/10/30/phoenix-globe-spotlight/ |url-status= dead }}</ref>

===Resignation===
In April 2002, following the ''Boston Globe''{{'}}s public exposure of the cover up by Cardinal Law (and his predecessor Cardinal [[Humberto Sousa Medeiros|Humberto Medeiros]]) of offending priests in the Boston Archdiocese, Law consulted with [[Pope John Paul II]] and other Vatican officials and said he was committed to staying on as archbishop and addressing the scandal: "It is my intent to address at length the record of the Archdiocese's handling of these cases by reviewing the past in as systematic and comprehensive way as possible, so that legitimate questions which have been raised might be answered."<ref>{{cite press release|url=http://press.vatican.va/content/salastampa/it/bollettino/pubblico/2002/12/13/0620/01984.html |publisher=[[Holy See Press Office]] |language=it, en |title=DICHIARAZIONE DELL'EM.MO CARD. BERNARD FRANCIS LAW|date=April 17, 2002 |trans-title=Declaration of the Eminent Card. Bernard Francis Law|first=Bernard Francis|last=Law |access-date=December 21, 2017}}</ref>

Even so, Law submitted his resignation as Archbishop of Boston to the [[Holy See|Vatican]], which [[Pope John Paul II]] accepted on December 13, 2002.<ref name="Spotlight" />  Law wrote in a personal declaration, "The particular circumstances of this time suggest a quiet departure. Please keep me in your prayers."<ref>{{cite press release|url=http://press.vatican.va/content/salastampa/it/bollettino/pubblico/2002/12/13/0620/01984.html |publisher=Holy See Press Office|language=it, en |title=DICHIARAZIONE DELL'EM.MO CARD. BERNARD FRANCIS LAW|date=December 13, 2002 |trans-title=Declaration of the Eminent Card. Bernard Francis Law|first=Bernard Francis|last=Law |access-date=December 21, 2017}}</ref> and moved to Rome. In July 2003, [[Seán Patrick O'Malley|Seán O'Malley]], [[Order of Friars Minor Capuchin|OFMCap]] was named the new Archbishop of Boston.<ref>{{cite news|title=Archbishop Seán O'Malley installed as sixth Archbishop of Boston |work=The Pilot |url=http://www.thebostonpilot.com/article.asp?ID=1224 |first=Donis|last=Tracy|access-date=January 7, 2016|date=August 1, 2003}}</ref>

The ''Boston Globe'' said in an [[editorial]] the day after Law's resignation was accepted that "Law had become the central figure in a scandal of criminal abuse, denial, payoff, and coverup that resonates around the world".<ref name="Spotlight" /> A letter urging Law's resignation had been signed by 58 priests, mostly diocesan priests who had sworn obedience to Law as their direct superior; the editorial said that this letter was "surely one of the precipitating events in his departure".<ref name="globecrit">{{cite news|url=http://www.boston.com/globe/spotlight/abuse/stories3/121402_editorial.htm|work=Boston Globe|title=The cardinal's departure|page=A22 |date=December 14, 2002}}</ref> The ''Globe''{{'}}s exposé of the scandal was the subject of an [[88th Academy Awards|Oscar-winning]] film, ''[[Spotlight (film)|Spotlight]]'' released in the United States in November 2015, in which Law was portrayed by [[Len Cariou]].<ref name="Where" />

In a statement, Cardinal Law said, "It is my fervent prayer that [my resignation] may help the Archdiocese of Boston to experience the healing, reconciliation and unity which are so desperately needed. To all those who have suffered from my shortcomings and mistakes I both apologize and from them beg forgiveness."<ref>{{cite news|title=Cardinal Law Resigns as Archbishop of Boston|url=https://www.npr.org/news/specials/law/|access-date=January 17, 2014|newspaper=NPR|date=December 15, 2002}}</ref> While no longer Archbishop of Boston, Law remained a bishop and cardinal of the Catholic Church in good standing; as a cardinal, he participated in the [[Papal conclave, 2005|2005 papal conclave]].<ref name="Where" /> By the time of the [[Papal conclave, 2013|2013 papal conclave]], he had become ineligible to vote as he was over the age of 80.<ref name="CNNFF" />

==Roman appointment==
Within weeks of his resignation, Law moved from Boston to Rome.<ref name="Where" /> When the state attorney general issued his report entitled ''Child Sexual Abuse in the Archdiocese of Boston'' (July 23, 2003), he severely criticized Law, mentioning that "the Archdiocese has shown an institutional reluctance to adequately address the problem and, in fact, made choices that allowed the abuse to continue," but did not allege that Law had tried to evade investigation.<ref name="Where" /> He said that Cardinal Law had not broken any laws, because the law requiring abuse to be reported was not expanded to include priests until 2002.<ref>{{cite book| url= http://www.bishop-accountability.org/resources/resource-files/reports/ReillyExecSum.pdf |publisher= Office of Attorney General, Massachusetts| title= The Sexual Abuse of Children in the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Boston: Executive Summary and Scope of Investigation| date=July 23, 2003| website= bishop-accountability.org| access-date= December 21, 2017}}</ref>

Law was a member of the Congregations for [[Congregation for the Oriental Churches|the Oriental Churches]], [[Congregation for the Clergy|the Clergy]], [[Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments|Divine Worship and Discipline of the Sacraments]], [[Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples|Evangelisation of Peoples]], [[Congregation for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life|Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life]], [[Congregation for Catholic Education|Catholic Education]], [[Congregation for Bishops|Bishops]] as well as the [[Pontifical Council for the Family]].<ref name="Where" /><ref name=graun7no15 /> He held membership in all these congregations and of the council before resigning from the governance of the Archdiocese of Boston, and at that time was also a member of the [[Pontifical Council for Culture]].<ref>Annuario Pontificio 2002</ref> He became even more influential in those [[Congregation (Roman Curia)|Vatican congregations]] and, being based in Rome, he could attend all their meetings, unlike cardinals based in other countries.<ref name=graun7no15>{{cite news| url= https://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/nov/06/cardinal-bernard-law-disgraced-boston-child-abuse-scandal-vatican-haven-spotlight |work= [[The Guardian]]| title= How cardinal disgraced in Boston child abuse scandal found a Vatican haven| date=November 7, 2015| first1= Stephanie| last1= Kirchgaessner | first2= Amanda| last2= Holpuch| access-date= December 21, 2017}}</ref>

In May 2004, [[Pope John Paul II]] appointed Law to a post in [[Rome]], as [[Archpriest]] of the [[Basilica di Santa Maria Maggiore]], a largely ceremonial role.<ref>{{cite news| title= Cardinal Law Given Post In Rome| url= https://www.nytimes.com/2004/05/28/us/cardinal-law-given-post-in-rome.html | work= The New York Times| date= May 28, 2004| access-date= April 11, 2008}}</ref>  Some saw this an attempt to shield Law from potential criminal prosecution as his new position conveyed citizenship in Vatican City.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://blogs.loc.gov/law/2012/07/the-current-legislation-on-citizenship-in-the-vatican-city-state/|title=The Current Legislation on Citizenship in the Vatican City State &#124; in Custodia Legis: Law Librarians of Congress|date=July 18, 2012}}</ref>

Law reached 80 on November 4, 2011, and lost the right to participate in a [[papal conclave]] as well as his memberships in offices of the [[Roman Curia]].<ref name="Where" /> He remained as archpriest of the Basilica di Santa Maria Maggiore until November 21, 2011, when Archbishop [[Santos Abril y Castelló]] was appointed as the new archpriest.<ref name=graun7no15 />

In Rome, Law was considered an active and important conservative voice within many of the Vatican offices in which he served. Robert Mickens, a longtime Vatican journalist, reported that Law believed he had been "badly done by", and that other cardinals saw him as a victim rather than a guilty party. Until his retirement, Mickens said, "He did not lose his influence. He was a member of more congregations than any other bishop&nbsp;... Cardinals that are members of these offices can't always go to the meetings—they are not in Rome—but Bernie Law did and he goes everywhere and he keeps his head held high."<ref name=graun7no15 />

==Retirement and death==
It was "commonly believed that [Law would] live out his retirement in Rome" (when he reached 80 years of age).<ref>Arsenault, Mark, [http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2011/11/22/cardinal_bernard_law_retires_from_post_in_rome/?page=full "Law retires from post in Rome"], ''The Boston Globe'', November 22, 2011. Retrieved February 5, 2013.</ref> After his retirement in 2011, Law continued to live in Vatican City, and regularly attended the annual July 4 Independence Day parties held by the United States Embassy to the Holy See.<ref name=graun7no15 />

In March 2013, Law was living at the [[Basilica di Santa Maria Maggiore]].<ref name=debunk>{{cite web |url=http://ncronline.org/blogs/ncr-today/debunking-three-urban-legends-about-pope-francis |title=Debunking three 'urban legends' about Pope Francis |work=National Catholic Reporter |date=March 24, 2013 |access-date=July 29, 2013 |author=Allen, John L. Jr.}}</ref> {{As of|2015}}, he was living in the [[Palazzo della Cancelleria]].<ref name=palazzo /> He visited the United States for the last time in August 2015 for the funeral of Cardinal [[William Wakefield Baum]] in Washington, D.C.<ref name="WPobit">{{cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/obituaries/cardinal-bernard-law-boston-archbishop-at-center-of-church-sex-abuse-scandal-dies-at-86/2017/12/20/8e679e8c-e533-11e7-833f-155031558ff4_story.html|title=Cardinal Bernard Law, Boston archbishop at center of church sex-abuse scandal, dies at 86|newspaper=[[The Washington Post]]|date=December 19, 2017|access-date=December 19, 2017}}</ref>

In May 2012, the ''[[National Catholic Reporter]]'' and ''[[The Tablet]]'', a British Catholic weekly, reported that Law was "the person in Rome most forcefully supporting" Baltimore Archbishop [[William E. Lori]]'s petition to investigate and discipline the [[Leadership Conference of Women Religious]], a large group of American nuns.<ref>{{cite news |last=Bratu |first=Becky |date=May 10, 2012 |title=US priests reportedly behind Vatican crackdown on nuns |work=NBC News |url=https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/us-priests-reportedly-behind-vatican-crackdown-nuns-flna764748 |access-date=February 5, 2013}}</ref>

After a long illness, Law died in Rome on December 20, 2017, at the age of 86. He is buried in a chapel at the Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore.<ref name="Obit">{{cite news|url= https://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/obituaries/2017/12/19/lawbernard/PBOOOaMLW783ylMI1L6pzO/story.html | title= Cardinal Bernard Law, who left Boston in wake of sex abuse scandal, dies at 86 |work= The Boston Globe |access-date=December 19, 2017|date=December 19, 2017}}</ref><ref name="WPobit" /> His funeral rites, following the standard for a cardinal who dies in Rome, included Mass in [[St. Peter's Basilica]] on December 21 at which [[Pope Francis]] said the final prayers.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.cnn.com/2017/12/20/world/cardinal-bernard-law-death-funeral-reaction/index.html|title='Chop him up:' Accusers seethe over Vatican funeral plans for Cardinal Law|publisher=CNN|date=December 20, 2017|access-date=December 21, 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://abcnews.go.com/International/funeral-disgraced-cardinal-bernard-law-slated-thursday-st/story?id=51923456|title=Funeral for disgraced Cardinal Bernard Law slated for Thursday at St. Peter's Basilica in Rome|work=ABC News|date=December 21, 2017|access-date=December 21, 2017}}</ref> [[Vatican Television Center|Vatican TV]] did not livestream the Mass as it normally does.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Ellement|first1=John R.|title=Amid Grandeur of St. Peter's Basilica, pope attends funeral of disgraced Cardinal Law|url=https://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/2017/12/21/vatican-broadcast-cardinal-law-funeral-service/RikvzLGHdPjF7JmEDrasEP/story.html|access-date=December 21, 2017|work=Boston Globe|date=December 21, 2017}}</ref>

Upon his death, his successor as Archbishop of Boston, Cardinal [[Seán Patrick O'Malley|Seán O'Malley]], [[Order of Friars Minor Capuchin|OFMCap]], said it was "unfortunate" that Law "had such a high-profile place in the life of the Church". He speculated that today Law would not receive the sort of Vatican appointments he enjoyed after leaving Boston "but unfortunately we're living with the consequences of that".<ref>{{cite news|title=Pope Francis presides over the final rites of Cardinal Law's funeral Mass|url=https://www.americamagazine.org/faith/2017/12/21/pope-francis-presides-over-final-rites-cardinal-laws-funeral-mass|access-date=December 21, 2017|work=[[America (magazine)|America]]|date=December 21, 2017}}</ref>

''The Guardian'' noted at the time that Law had become "a symbol of the Roman Catholic Church's systematic protection of paedophile priests" because of his refusal to stop sexual abuse in Boston.<ref>{{cite news|date=December 20, 2017|title=Cardinal Bernard Law, central figure in Boston sexual abuse scandal, dies at 86|work=The Guardian|url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/dec/20/cardinal-bernard-law-boston-sex-abuse-scandal-dies|last=Kirchgaessner|first=Stephanie}}</ref>

==In popular culture==
Law is portrayed by [[Len Cariou]] in the 2015 biographical drama [[Spotlight (film)|''Spotlight'']].

==See also==
{{Portal bar|Biography|Christianity|United States}}

==References==
{{reflist|colwidth=30em|refs=

<ref name=palazzo>{{cite news | url=http://wgbhnews.org/post/search-cardinal-bernard-law | title=In Search Of Cardinal Bernard Law | work=WGBH News | date=August 3, 2015 | access-date=September 22, 2015 | author=Martin, Phillip | archive-date=October 1, 2015 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151001161135/http://wgbhnews.org/post/search-cardinal-bernard-law | url-status=dead }}</ref>

}}

===Sources===
* {{cite book
| author = Bernard F. Law
|editor=Romanus Cessario
| title = Boston's cardinal: Bernard Law, the man and his witness
| publisher = Lexington Books
| year = 2002
| url = https://books.google.com/books?id=CE3VpQcfXJAC
| isbn = 978-0-7391-0341-8
}}

==External links==
{{Commons category|Bernard Law}}
* {{cite web| access-date = 9 November 2017| title= Law Card. Bernard Francis |publisher= [[Holy See Press Office]] | url= https://press.vatican.va/content/salastampa/en/documentation/cardinali_biografie/cardinali_bio_law_bf.html | url-status=live | archive-date= 4 September 2017 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20170904070615/http://press.vatican.va/content/salastampa/en/documentation/cardinali_biografie/cardinali_bio_law_bf.html }}
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20050228182956/http://catholicherald.com/cns/law-bio.htm Cardinal Bernard Law Biography]
*[http://www.boston.com/globe/spotlight/abuse/ ''The Boston Globe'' about the sex-abuse scandal]

{{s-start}}
{{s-rel|ca}}
{{s-bef|before=[[Carlo Furno]]}}
{{s-ttl|title=[[Basilica di Santa Maria Maggiore|Archpriest of the Basilica di Santa Maria Maggiore]]|years=May 27, 2004 – November 21, 2011}}
{{s-aft|after=[[Santos Abril y Castelló]]}}
{{s-bef|before=[[Humberto Sousa Medeiros]]}}
{{s-ttl|title=[[Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Boston|Archbishop of Boston]]|years=1984–2002}}
{{s-aft|after=[[Seán Patrick O'Malley]], [[Order of Friars Minor Capuchin|OFMCap]]}}
{{s-bef|before=[[William Wakefield Baum]]}}
{{s-ttl|title=[[Roman Catholic Diocese of Springfield–Cape Girardeau|Bishop of Springfield–Cape Girardeau]]|years=1973–1984}}
{{s-aft|after=[[John Joseph Leibrecht]]}}
{{s-end}}

{{Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Boston}}
{{Roman Catholic Diocese of Springfield-Cape Girardeau}}
{{Catholic Church sexual abuse cases}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Law, Bernard Francis}}
[[Category:1931 births]]
[[Category:2017 deaths]]
[[Category:People from Torreón]]
[[Category:Roman Catholic bishops of Springfield–Cape Girardeau]]
[[Category:20th-century American cardinals]]
[[Category:21st-century American cardinals]]
[[Category:Vatican City people]]
[[Category:American Roman Catholic clergy of Irish descent]]
[[Category:Harvard College alumni]]
[[Category:Catholic Church sexual abuse scandals in the United States]]
[[Category:Cardinals created by Pope John Paul II]]
[[Category:Members of the Congregation for the Oriental Churches]]
[[Category:Members of the Congregation for the Clergy]]
[[Category:Members of the Congregation for Catholic Education]]
[[Category:Members of the Congregation for Bishops]]
[[Category:American civil rights activists]]
[[Category:Child sexual abuse cover-ups]]