There has been a Mandated Reporters law in Massachusetts for many years, that covered about everyone who worked with children. Until 2002, clergy, for some unknown reason, were excluded. They are now included.

Because of his refusal to report the crimes of child rape by priests under his jurisdiction, and his enabling them to continue to rape children by concealing their crimes, Law should have been charged with as many crimes as the legal system could come up with. Of course Tom Riley the Attorney General in Mass at the time of the disclosures refused to bring any charges against Law. Riley a 'good' Catholic and the father of a huge family was not about to challenge the Church.

Bernard Law should burn in a Massachusetts prison while he is waiting to burn in hell. Tom Riley should be in the adjacent inferno!

The Pope by sheltering Law has little credibility with Boston Catholics.

If the Catholic Church is not yet dead in the US, it is getting close to its last breath.

If the Catholic Church is not yet dead in the US, it is getting close to its last breath.

Wow, what an unbelievably moronic thing to say.

The Roman Catholic Church is by far the largest church of any kind in the U.S, accounting for 42% of all Christian church members. It is also among the fastest growing. U.S. membership increased from 60.3 million in 1997 to 69.1 million in 2007, 15% growth, which places it third among all churches in growth, behind only Latter Day Saints and Assemblies of God. Many mainline protestant denominations, by comparison, showed a decline over the same period.

How did you manage to not even mention the fact that the abuse by Law was the point of this posting. Not sure where your stats come from, but this MORON as you call me, rejects them! No mention of the decline of American priests due to death and old age, and the fact that US Seminaries are closing or operating with a tiny fraction of what they once did.