The Massachusetts Attorney General said today no criminal charges will be filed against Cardinal Bernard Law or his aides in the wake of the clergy sexual abuse scandal.
The office for Massachusetts Attorney General Tom Reilly confirmed an investigation that began over a year ago in the Boston Archdiocese will not result in any criminal indictments. More details are expected to be released later today.
Law resigned as archbishop of 2.1 million Catholics in December after documents showed he and other former top officials left known pedophile priests in active ministry or moved them from church to church without telling parishioners or reporting them to civil authorities.
"It's a disappointment," said Mr Mitchell Garabedian, a Boston lawyer representing clergy sexual abuse victims. "Many clients wanted to see the church leaders held accountable".
Mr Reilly faced an uphill battle in winning any grand jury indictments. He previously has said Massachusetts' laws protecting children were weak. Until last year, the state did not have any laws mandating that church leaders report clergy sexual abuse allegations to state authorities.
Mr Reilly is expected to issue a report later this week that provides the church with guidelines on how it can protect children in the future from predator priests.
Bishop Sean Patrick O'Malley, Law's successor, is set to be installed as the head of the Boston Archdiocese on July 30th. Bishop O'Malley is currently bishop of Palm Beach, Florida.