Bernard Francis Law

Bernard Francis Cardinal Law (November 4, 1931 – December 20, 2017) was an American prelate of the Catholic Church who, among other offices, served as Archbishop of Boston from 1984 to 2002. Originally considered an influential voice among 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 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. Prior to that office, Law served as Bishop of Springfield–Cape Girardeau from 1973 to 1984. He also served as 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 Archbishop of Boston from March 1984 until his resignation on December 13, 2002, after his involvement in the Archdiocese of Boston sex abuse scandal became public knowledge. Law was proven to have ignored or concealed the molestation of many underage children; Church documents demonstrate that he had extensive knowledge of widespread child sexual abuse committed by dozens of Catholic priests in his archdiocese over almost two decades; he failed to report these crimes to the authorities, instead merely transferring the accused priests between parishes. One priest in Law's archdiocese, John Geoghan, raped or molested more than 130 children in six different parishes in a career of 30 years. 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 Skylstad called "an important step in the healing process", 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.