Judge Rules Boston’s Cardinal Law Must Answer Attorney’s Questions
A judge said Wednesday that Cardinal Bernard Law must answer an attorney’s questions about his handling of the case of a priest accused of sexual abuse.
The request to depose Law involves a lawsuit against the cardinal and the Boston archdiocese over abuse allegations against the Rev. Paul Shanley.
The judge scheduled the deposition for June 5.
Law has been under increasing pressure to resign since about 850 pages in Shanley’s personnel files were turned over by the archdiocese to attorney Roderick MacLeish and later made public.
The records detailed Shanley’s advocacy for sex between men and boys as well as his transfer to several parishes by the archdiocese, despite claims of child sexual abuse.
A lawyer for Shanley, Frank Mondano, appeared in court Wednesday, joining the archdiocese to argue that medical records are confidential. Judge Leila Kearns set a May 1 hearing on that issue.
Kearns rejected a motion by archdiocese attorney Wilson Rogers Jr. to dismiss the lawsuit on constitutional grounds of separation of church and state.
MacLeish represents 120 plaintiffs suing priests, the archdiocese and Law.
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