Church leaders cleared
The week's news at a glance.
Boston
Roman Catholic leaders in Boston will not face criminal charges for allowing priests accused of sexual abuse to continue working with children, Massachusetts officials announced this week. Former archbishop Bernard Law was pressured into stepping down in December after he admitted mishandling scores of abuse charges. Thomas Reilly, the state attorney general, said it would be difficult to convict Law or other bishops because there was no state law requiring clergy members to report abuse to police. One alleged victim, Gary Bergeron, 41, said the decision put bishops above the law. Church leaders “agreed to sanction the abuse of children throughout the years,” he said, and they should be punished.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
-
Gandhi arrests: Narendra Modi's 'vendetta' against India's opposition
The Explainer Another episode threatens to spark uproar in the Indian PM's long-running battle against the country's first family
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK
-
How the woke right gained power in the US
Under the radar The term has grown in prominence since Donald Trump returned to the White House
By Chas Newkey-Burden, The Week UK
-
Codeword: April 24, 2025
The Week's daily codeword puzzle
By The Week Staff