BishopAccountability.org
	Abuse Victims Upset by Bernard Law's Birthday Celebration NECN November 4, 2011 http://www.necn.com/11/04/11/Abuse-victims-upset-by-Bernard-Laws-birt/landing_newengland.html?blockID=588450&feedID=4206 [with video] Former Boston Archbishop, Cardinal Bernard Law turned 80 years old on Friday. But, a birthday party in Rome to celebrate Law isn't sitting well with victims of the clergy abuse scandal. Cardinal Law was the person at the center of the epicenter of the priest sex abuse scandal. He was forced to resign in disgrace back in 2002. The pope gave him a plum position in Rome. Now, Law is celebrating his 80th birthday with a big party. "They can do what they want, but I think time needs to be applied to the victims (and) how they can help them, not worry about some party," said Bill Oberle, 54, of Dorchester, Massachusetts. Oberle knows only too well the pain of abuse. He said he and two brothers were abused by a Catholic priest when Oberle was 12 years old. That priest was defrocked in 1998, but Oberle still bears the scars. "I was in the military. I had weapons in my mouth. I was ready (to kill myself)." Attorney Mitchell Garabedian represents Oberle and hundreds of other alleged victims. "Cardinal Law is now being celebrated and it's a slap in the face to victims," said Garabedian. "What's there to celebrate?" he asked. "He's a public figure who represents the church, a church that allowed thousands of children to be sexually molested." The man who had to clean up the mess left in the Boston Archdiocese, Cardinal Sean O'Malley is in Rome, attending a series of meetings to update the Vatican on what's happening in the archdiocese. He is not going to Law's birthday party. Terry Donilon, the Cardinal's spokesperson said the date of the trip was set by the Holy See, and it's just a coincidence it's at the same time as Law's birthday. In a statement he said, "We understand that some priests and friends of Cardinal Law will be attending this birthday event. Cardinal Sean's schedule does not include attendance... He does extend his prayers to Cardinal Law on the occasion of his 80th birthday. " "That might be a step in the right direction as far as he goes," said Oberle. "I think it's great PR on his part." He added, "I give Sean a lot more credit than I give Bernie, that's for sure."
Any original material on these pages is copyright © BishopAccountability.org 2004. Reproduce freely with attribution.