Rome
Pope John Paul II has given a plum position in Rome to the American cardinal who was forced out of the Boston Archdiocese over the pedophile priest scandal. The prestigious appointment as archpriest of St. Mary Major Basilica makes Cardinal Bernard Law one of the most highly placed Americans in the Vatican. After outraged editorials appeared in Boston papers, the Vatican announced that Law’s stipend would be $5,000 a month, not the $12,000 his successor was given, but activists were not placated. “This public affirmation of Cardinal Law’s position as a church leader undermines the pope’s stated concern for children and young people,” said James E. Post, president of the lay organization Voice of the Faithful. Law resigned in 2002 after admitting he covered for priests in his diocese who had sexually abused children.
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