THE US/THE VATICAN: In the end, it was probably the priests' revolt in his own archdiocese of Boston that tipped the scales against Cardinal Bernard Law and persuaded Pope John Paul II to accept his resignation yesterday.
Senior Vatican sources told The Irish Times yesterday that whilst it was clear that Cardinal Law had arrived in Rome last weekend determined to resign, it was only when 58 Boston-area priests on Monday signed a letter calling for his resignation that the Vatican became convinced that the 71-year-old prelate should go. That letter, on top of widespread protests by Boston parishioners, finally persuaded the Vatican that the cardinal's position was not only untenable but also likely to further damage the credibility of the Catholic Church.
Last April, in similar circumstances, the Pope had rejected Cardinal Law's resignation. Vatican insiders believe the Pope would have again rejected it this week were it not for the open revolt by priests in the Boston diocese.
In their almost unprecedented letter, the 58 priests had claimed that Cardinal Law no longer exercised the "spiritual leadership required for the Church of Boston".
Prior to the action of the 58 priests, Cardinal Law's fate had hung in the balance.
Notwithstanding the dimensions of a priestly sex abuse and paedophile scandal in Boston that has caused arguably the worst crisis in US Church history, the Pope was still reluctant to accept Cardinal Law's resignation.
Not only is the idea of a priest reneging on his mission anathema to John Paul II but the Vatican abhors the idea of having been seen to bow to public or, worse still, media pressure.
Many Vatican insiders still believe that Cardinal Law, for all his perceived shortcomings, has been the victim of a media witch-hunt by reporters working off an anti-clerical agenda.
In the end, Cardinal Law's meeting with the Pope in the Apostolic Palace yesterday morning was brief. On a morning when the Pope had audiences with the Papal Nuncios from Brazil and the Democratic Republic of Congo as well as with ambassadors from Sierra Leone, Jamaica, India, Ghana, Norway, Rwanda and Madagascar, John Paul II needed only a few minutes with Cardinal Law to agree to his resignation.
Cardinal Law is the first cardinal to resign office since the cardinal of Vienna, Hans Hermann Groer, was forced out in 1995 after allegations emerged that he had sexually assaulted a boy, 20 years earlier.
Inevitably, the worst-case scenario, from the Vatican viewpoint, is that this latest resignation will prompt resignation calls, both in the US and elsewhere, for other senior prelates likewise guilty of mishandling sex offender priests. Partly by way of avoiding any such follow-up, Vatican sources made it clear yesterday that the Holy See will not be finding a safe and cosy post for Cardinal Law behind Vatican walls. Cardinal Law's resignation was made public by a Vatican bulletin issued at around midday, a bulletin which contained both a statement from Cardinal Law about his resignation and also the announcement of his immediate successor, Bishop Richard Gerard Lennon, who will fulfil the role of Apostolic Administrator.
The bulletin made no mention of the other major issue that dominated the cardinal's Vatican talks this week, namely the threat that the Boston archdiocese might apply for "Chapter 11" protective bankruptcy as a way of limiting mounting claims damages from the victims of clerical abuse. Vatican sources yesterday said it was highly unlikely that the Apostolic Administrator would invoke the bankruptcy proceedings since the Vatican remains virulently opposed to any steps that might open up internal diocesan files to a state investigator.
In his resignation statement, Cardinal Law begged "forgiveness" for his "shortcomings", saying: "To all those who have suffered from my shortcomings and mistakes, I both apologise and from them beg forgiveness.
"To the bishops, priests, deacons, religious and laity, with whom I have been privileged to work in our efforts to fulfil the Church's mission, I must express my deep gratitude."
Cardinal Law's immediate future remains uncertain. Yesterday's resignation means that he has resigned the government of the Boston archdiocese but he still retains the rank of cardinal. He would be entitled to vote at any forthcoming papal election between now and his 80th birthday. In his brief statement, he implied that he hopes to step out of the unwelcome media spotlight.
"The particular circumstances of this time suggest a quiet departure", he said.