ITALY: At a time when Cardinal Law's spokesman in Boston was denying all knowledge on Sunday of where he was, an American reporter spotted the head of the Boston archdiocese having dinner at a restaurant in Rome with Bishop James Harvey, a senior American member of Pope John Paul II's personal staff.
The discovery that the beleaguered cardinal had travelled in secret to Rome for consultations with the Vatican caused intense speculation in Boston that he was about to resign as archbishop, or that the Vatican would name an eventual successor, or "coadjutor", as a way of easing his departure.
The cardinal's flight came as several dozen priests in the archdiocese joined lay groups to call publicly for his resignation over his role in the sexual abuse scandal that is engulfing the largest US Roman Catholic archdiocese, and that has turned critics' anger against the cardinal into fury.
An official of the archdiocese was quoted yesterday as saying he expected the cardinal to resign eventually from the post he has held since 1984, but not before he had resolved the legal and financial crises facing the archdiocese.
In a cryptic response to queries, a Vatican spokesman, Dr Joaquin Navarro-Valls, would confirm only that Cardinal Law was in Rome "to inform the Holy See about various aspects of the situation in the diocese of Boston".
Senior Vatican sources speculated that the cardinal would meet senior Curia figures such as Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re, Prefect of the Congregation of Bishops, Cardinal Dario Castrillon Hoyos, Prefect of the Congregation of the Clergy, and Archbishop Julian Herranz, President of the Pontifical Council for Legislative Texts - and eventually the Pope.
One senior Curia figure told The Irish Times yesterday that while the Holy See would be extremely reluctant to see Cardinal Law forced into resignation by the combined pressure of public opinion and media campaigning, the fact that he appeared to have lost the confidence of some of his diocesan priests could weigh heavily in deliberations.
The Vatican is concerned about the possible "domino" effect of Cardinal Law's resignation, as it might generate new pressure for the resignation of many senior US and other church figures criticised for their handling of the sex abuse crisis, including Cardinal Desmond Connell of Dublin.
The Holy See, too, is worried about the implications of the Boston diocese applying for bankruptcy. While this could prove a useful short-term strategy for limiting mounting damages claims, such an action presents moral and ethical concerns that the Vatican simply cannot ignore.
An archdiocese financial panel last Wednesday gave the cardinal permission to file for bankruptcy on behalf of the archdiocese, an unprecedented step that would require consultation with the Vatican.
The crisis has made the Boston archdiocese a target for national ridicule, with one newspaper publishing a cartoon showing a prelate asking a congregation "Now let's turn to Chapter 11".
The simmering crisis over sexual abuse in the Boston area boiled over last week after diocesan files revealed the extent to which Cardinal Law and other bishops allowed priests accused of serious sexual abuse to remain in the ministry.
One priest who fathered two children and did not immediately call for help when the mother overdosed was serving in a parish until last week. Another exchanged cocaine for sex with boys and a third engaged in sex acts with girls studying to become nuns.
Cardinal Law made an unannounced trip to Rome in April, when he offered his resignation to Pope John Paul. It was rejected and he returned to Boston to try to control the growing scandal. He is scheduled to give his second deposition on December 17th on crimes of abuse by priests as part of a continuing civil action, according to lawyers for victims.
A group from among the Boston diocese's 600 active priests has been circulating a draft statement calling for the cardinal to step down. The petition, drawn up at a meeting at Newton parish, said the release of damaging church files last week made his resignation "a necessary step".
If Cardinal Law resigns, the selection of a successor could take many months. There was a six-month interregnum between the death of Cardinal Humberto Medeiros in 1983 and Cardinal Law's appointment.