[livius]

Too true, SMEDLYBUTLER!

I was surprised that Law said the things he did. Maybe he's actually made a decision in his life, as a result of the horrible things that have happened.

I lived in NY during much of Law's reign in Boston, and I must say that while he was technically conservative and aligned with Cardinal O'Connor, I never thought he was very enthusiastic about it. His pro-life statements were often a bit on the ambiguous side, for one thing.

However, both he and O'Connor seemed in many ways to skate away from some of the real problems in their dioceses , although O'Connor did attack the problem of gays in the seminary. O'Connor (who was a wonderful person, and probably a saint, I suspect) is now with Our Lord, but Law still has time to consider his episcopal performance. Perhaps he's seeing it all differently now?

I thought he should resign. But if he repents of his lapses and changes, that would be a thousand times more powerful.

[maryz]

His pro-life statements were often a bit on the ambiguous side, for one thing.

I never found them ambiguous exactly -- I think he just early on mastered "clergyspeak," that rather bland, smarmy drone that characterizes far too many clergy of all denominations. He seems to like mingling with the rich and powerful, and abortion is the one issue on which he has been willing to go against the liberal MA establishment. (Way too many of his pronouncements on other issues might have been drafted by the DNC!)

I feel very hopeful that he will decide "in for a penny, in for a pound" -- as I said, he doesn't seem to have anything to lose now.

I would be even more hopeful if I were to read that he had cleaned out the Chancery personnel offices.

But I'm still praying.