Bernard Francis Law

Bernard Francis Law, born on November fourth, nineteen thirty-one, was a prominent Mexican-born American prelate of the Catholic Church. He served as the Archbishop of Boston from March nineteen eighty-four until his resignation in December two thousand two. Initially regarded as a significant voice within the American Catholic hierarchy and Boston society, Law was known for his support of church orthodoxy, social justice, ecumenism, and civil rights.

However, his reputation suffered a dramatic decline following the exposure of his involvement in covering up the sexual abuse of minors by Catholic priests. Law was found to have extensive knowledge of the widespread child sexual abuse occurring within his archdiocese, yet he failed to report these crimes to authorities, opting instead to transfer accused priests between parishes. This negligence led to public outrage, particularly regarding the case of John Geoghan, a priest who abused more than one hundred thirty children over a thirty-year career.

Before his tenure in Boston, Law served as the Bishop of Springfield–Cape Girardeau from nineteen seventy-three to nineteen eighty-four. After resigning from his archbishopric, he was appointed Archpriest of the Basilica di Santa Maria Maggiore in Rome by Pope John Paul II in two thousand four, a position he held until reaching the age of eighty in November two thousand eleven. Law passed away in Rome on December twentieth, two thousand seventeen, at the age of eighty-six.