Italy: Leaders of a group representing victims of child clerical abuse flew to Rome yesterday to protest against the Vatican's choice of Cardinal Bernard Law to celebrate one of nine Masses in commemoration of Pope John Paul II.
Cardinal Law, who was forced to resign as archbishop of Boston in 2002 amid charges of protecting abusive priests, celebrates the Mass at Rome's Santa Maria Maggiore basilica, the church where John Paul appointed him archpriest.
The Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests said US cardinals should try to stop "rubbing salt into deep wounds" by giving such an honour to the cardinal.
"We certainly do not want to cause any additional pain or suffering to anyone attending the memorial service for the Holy Father," said Barbara Blaine, founder of the Chicago-based group. "Our concern is that many Catholics going there don't know the history with Cardinal Law and that's why we want to inform them."
Several leaders of the network, including Ms Blaine, plan to hand out leaflets at the Vatican today when Cardinal Law says the Mass. She and two other clergy sex abuse victims will also try to speak with American cardinals about factors they feel are important in choosing the next pope.
Barbara Dorris, the group's outreach co-ordinator, said: "This is a hurtful decision, giving Law high-profile honours during a time when thousands of Catholics are trying to focus on the Pope's life and death, not on Law's horrific track record on child sexual abuse."
On Saturday members delivered a letter to Cardinal Roger Mahony's office in Los Angeles, asking him to intervene with Vatican bureaucrats on this issue. St Maria Maggiore is one of four basilicas under direct Vatican jurisdiction; in his homily he is expected to follow tradition and outline the key issues for a future pope.
Cardinal Law resigned in December 2002, saying: "To all those who have suffered from my shortcomings and my mistakes I once again apologise and from them I beg forgiveness." Anger over his handling of clerical abuse cases erupted when the Boston Globe revealed in January 2002 that bishops in the Boston archdiocese had not only been aware of widespread sexual abuse of children, but had gone to enormous lengths to cover it up and had secretly settled abuse claims against at least 70 priests.
A serial paedophile priest, John Geoghegan, who had raped numerous boys, was shuttled from parish to parish to avoid scandal. In 1984, Cardinal Law had made him parochial vicar in an affluent parish, despite being notified shortly beforehand that Geoghegan had allegedly molested seven boys.
An archive released by the archdiocese under court order showed that Cardinal Law and other bishops knew about allegations of abuse by another pederast, Father Paul Shanley, who openly advocated sex between men and boys. He was nevertheless transferred to California with a glowing testimonial from the archdiocese.
Father Shanley's abuse went back 30 years but, instead of handing the priest over to police, church officials ignored, protected or promoted him.
Cardinal Law's moral authority collapsed in the face of a virtual insurrection in the Catholic church in Boston led by Voice of the Faithful, a lay organisation outraged at the sexual abuse scandal.
It was supported by dozens of priests who also bitterly opposed Cardinal Law's plans - later shelved - to declare the archdiocese bankrupt to cope with 450 compensation claims.