Catholic
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Cardinal Bernard Law was forced to resign as archbishop of Boston in 2002 |
Cardinal
Bernard Law, who was forced to resign as archbishop of Boston in 2002 over a
sex abuse scandal, has retired from his subsequent job as head of a major
basilica in Rome.
The Vatican
said in a statement Santos Abril y Castello from Spain would now take charge of
St Mary Major Basilica.
Cardinal
Law was accused of having moved paedophile priests from parishes rather than
confront the problem.
Cardinal
Law's Rome appointment was criticised by abuse victims.
He
celebrated a Mass of mourning for Pope John Paul II and remains an influential
Church figure.
He was the
first and, so far, only US bishop to resign for mishandling cases of priests
who sexually abused children, the Associated Press news agency reports.
The Boston
Archdiocese avoided bankruptcy by agreeing to sell land and buildings for more
than $100m (£63m) to fund legal settlements for more than 500 abuse victims.
As an
80-year-old, Bernard Law can no longer elect a pope in a conclave, but will
remain a cardinal.
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