Law May Be Seeking OK for Bankruptcy

Cardinal Bernard Law consulted Monday with the Vatican during an abrupt trip to Rome, stirring speculation that he was stepping down or arranging for the Boston Archdiocese to declare bankruptcy.

The archdiocese shed no light Monday on the purpose of Law’s visit, which came amid a new groundswell of criticism among once-loyal parishioners and priests about his handling of sexual abuse cases against priests.

“He’s lost his diocese,” said Father Robert Bullock, a leader of the Boston Priests Forum, a group that represents about half of the approximately 600 priests in the archdiocese. “He’s in hiding. He can’t appear in public here. We need new leadership.”

Law’s trip comes a week after thousands of pages of the archdiocese’s personnel files were released, painting a grim picture of rogue priests who used drugs and engaged in sex. In one case, a priest reportedly seduced girls studying to become nuns, telling them he was the “second coming of Christ.” In another case, the documents say a priest fathered at least two children and abandoned their mother while she was suffering a drug overdose.

Last week, an archdiocese financial panel authorized Law to seek Vatican approval for an unprecedented bankruptcy filing to deal with the 400 or so lawsuits brought by alleged victims of pedophile priests.

In the last week, priests have begun circulating petitions among the clergy calling on Law to resign, joining a chorus of parishioners.

The pope is the only church official who can appoint or oust bishops. Even when a bishop resigns or retires, he cannot leave his post without the pope’s authorization.