New York Times
By LAURIE GOODSTEIN
ast April, when the nation’s Roman Catholic cardinals traveled to Rome and brought home a statement from Pope John Paul II condemning the sexual abuse of minors by priests, some church leaders expected that his words would calm the growing anger among the church’s laypeople.
Last June in Dallas, where American bishops passed a manifesto committing themselves to remove any priest who had ever sexually abused a minor, church officials again expressed optimism that their efforts would restore faith and quell the restiveness among the laity.
Now that the scandal has resulted in the downfall of the nation’s senior prelate, Cardinal Bernard F. Law of Boston, the bishops recognize that the crisis may only grow as laypeople and priests, lawyers and judges, see the power they can have.
