Church Can’t Back Abuse Settlement, Cardinal Law Tells Judge

Cardinal Bernard Law, compelled to take the witness stand in open court for the first time in the Roman Catholic Church’s sexual abuse scandal, on Friday defended the Boston Archdiocese’s decision to back out of a multimillion-dollar settlement with dozens of alleged victims.

The nation’s senior Catholic prelate, under oath like any other witness, testified that the settlement was only “proposed” and was never made final between the archdiocese and 86 adults who claim they were molested by former priest John J. Geoghan.

He was asked to read aloud a newspaper article in which he praised the agreement as “an important step in reaching closure.”

Under questioning from the attorney representing Geoghan’s alleged victims, Law said the settlement was tentative because not all of them had signed off on it. He said the church withdrew from the $15-million to $30-million agreement after financial advisors said the price was too steep.

“I saw it as a proposed settlement that would become effective with the necessary signatures,” Law testified.

When attorney Mitchell Garabedian demanded to know why Law did not use the word “proposed” in a March 15 editorial in the diocesan paper, The Pilot, the cardinal replied: “I did not use that word as a qualifier. I wish obviously now that I had used it. It would have expressed the intent of my words more effectively.”

The cardinal was on the stand for more than two hours on the second day of a hearing to determine if the agreement is binding on the archdiocese. His testimony came as church officials said the archdiocese might file for bankruptcy if the massive settlement is upheld.

“It is true that in the process of considering all possible options in pursuit of a global settlement, legal counsel has been authorized to review how bankruptcy law might apply to the archdiocese,” Archdiocese Chancellor David W. Smith said in a statement Friday.

Although the cardinal has been deposed repeatedly in civil suits since the scandal began, those hearings were closed.

Law and the archdiocese now contend that they are seeking a global settlement that would cover all clerical sexual abuse victims. No figure has been cited, but church officials have stressed their goal of “fair and equitable” agreements for all alleged victims. Donations to the archdiocese have dropped substantially since the scandal began. Following a report Friday in the Boston Globe that the archdiocese was considering filing for bankruptcy if it was required to pay huge settlements, Smith said that no legal recommendation had been received and no decision had been made.

The public discussion of church finances was the latest in a series of embarrassments for the nation’s fourth-largest archdiocese. Law’s court appearance refueled the controversy over the cardinal’s role in the abuse scandal.

Documents made public by the Boston Globe showed that the archdiocese knew of Geoghan’s history of accusations and that church officials moved Geoghan from parish to parish rather than prohibit his contact with children.

Geoghan was convicted of one count of child abuse in January and is serving a nine- to 10-year sentence. Scores of civil suits involving him are pending.

Law kept a low profile at the annual bishops’ meeting in Dallas in June. But on tour in Canada last week with Pope John Paul II, he was a prominent presence. Law is to give depositions next week in several additional abuse cases.