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This is not as farfetched as it might seem. Bernard Cardinal Law, at the very least, was aware of Fr. Shanley's activities and kept passing him along. If the allegation of the forcible rape of a 13-year old boy OR the six year pattern of repeatedly raping a boy who was 6 years old in 1984 when those rapes began is true, then Law is guilty of misprision of a felony which is itself a felony, probably of equal degree to Shanley's underlying felony. Vatican rules are that a diocesan bishop or archbishop must submit his resignation on or before his 75th birthday. I reckon that would come relatively early in the first of many consecutive twenty-five year terms for such a felony. Do Massachusetts authorities, usually so proud to be practicing heathens, have the spine to put their court system and their jail cells where their mouths are? If Law is merely indicted, that will be the cause of an immediate resignation. If he is jailed, he can expect little sympathy under the circumstances and he deserves none.

A second means of toppling Law is for those in his neighborhood to prove what is quite provable: Boston College has referred many coeds for abortions during his tenure; (2) He knew it; (3) He refused to even verbally criticize Boston College for fear of loss of revenue from Boston College alumni. If you topple him, you probably get a Catholic archbishop in his place. Do it.

If I lived in Boston, I'd be getting together with a group of other devout Catholics to form a clandestine committee, the purpose of which is to pool resources to hire a private investigator to look into the actions of suspected active homosexual/pedophile priests, seminarians, and members of the hierarchy. If credible evidence is discovered, it should be presented to the Cardinal. If he takes no immediate action, it should be turned over to the press and if criminal, to the police.

If the archdiocese won't do the right thing, it's up to the laity to force the issue. Get to work!