Cardinal Bernard Law, the US former archbishop who became a symbol of the Roman Catholic Church’s systematic protection of paedophile priests because of his failure to stop abuse in Boston, has died. The Vatican announced in a statement that Law had died early on Wednesday morning after being ill and treated in hospital. Pope Francis did not reference the abuse scandal in his statement on Law’s passing, saying that he prayed that God “who is rich in mercy” may welcome Law in “His eternal peace”. He sought forgiveness but never faced criminal charges in the US for his repeated failure to protect children in Boston who were subjected to abuse. Advocates for victims saw the post as a sign that the church was still failing to acknowledge the gravity of the abuse scandal and was failing to take responsibility for the actions of its leaders.

Source: The Guardian December 20, 2017 05:12 UTC