Interim Boston Archdiocese Leader Calls for a Truce in Abuse Litigation

Bishop Richard G. Lennon, chosen by Pope John Paul II to temporarily replace Cardinal Bernard Law as leader of the Archdiocese of Boston, on Wednesday called for a truce in clergy sexual abuse litigation so that talks can proceed toward a settlement with victims.

In his first news conference since he took over from Law, who stepped down last week over his mishandling of sexual abuse cases involving priests, Lennon offered comforting words but generally stuck to existing archdiocese policies and left open the possibility that the church could file for bankruptcy protection.

Repeating a phrase the archdiocese has used several times in recent weeks, Lennon said he hoped to reach a “fair and equitable” settlement of all lawsuits that accuse the church of negligence in the way it dealt with accused clergy.

Accordingly, Lennon said he had asked the church’s lawyers to put on hold all clergy sexual abuse litigation. Such a move apparently would keep church officials from having to testify under oath and could ensure that no more internal church files are made public.

“This morning I have asked [archdiocese lawyers] to request that all parties set aside ... day-to-day litigation activities for a period of time so as to permit all parties to actively pursue the potential for a comprehensive settlement,” Lennon told reporters.

The archdiocese reached a similar truce with plaintiffs’ lawyers in June, but it collapsed the next month.

Lennon also said the archdiocese may sell some real estate to raise funds to pay victims if a deal is reached, but he said the church would not sell assets owned by individual parishes.

The 55-year-old bishop also made it clear that the archdiocese could still declare bankruptcy as a way of dealing with the estimated 450 lawsuits it faces from people who allege they were sexually abused by Roman Catholic priests.