Bernard Francis Law
| Bernard Francis Law | |
|---|---|
| Cardinal, Archpriest Emeritus of the Basilica di Santa Maria Maggiore | |
| See | Boston |
| Appointed | January 11, 1984 |
| Installed | March 23, 1984 |
| Term ended | December 13, 2002 |
| Predecessor | Humberto Sousa Medeiros |
| Successor | Seán Patrick O'Malley |
| Other posts | Cardinal-Priest of Santa Susanna |
| Orders | |
| Ordination | May 21, 1961 by Egidio Vagnozzi |
| Consecration | December 5, 1973 by Joseph Bernard Brunini |
| Created Cardinal | May 25, 1985 by John Paul II |
| Rank | Cardinal-Priest |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
November 4, 1931 Torreón, Coahuila, Mexico |
| Nationality | United States |
| Denomination | Roman Catholic |
| Previous post |
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| Motto | To live is Christ |
| Coat of arms |  |
| Ordination history of Bernard Francis Law | |
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Episcopal consecration
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| Principal consecrator | Joseph Bernard Brunini (Jackson) |
| Date of consecration | December 5, 1973 |
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Bishops consecrated by Bernard Francis Law as principal consecrator
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| Tomás Andrés Mauro Muldoon | October 8, 1984 |
| Robert Joseph Banks | September 19, 1985 |
| Roberto González Nieves | October 3, 1988 |
| John Richard McNamara | May 21, 1992 |
| John Patrick Boles | May 21, 1992 |
| John Brendan McCormack | December 27, 1995 |
| William Francis Murphy | December 27, 1995 |
| Francis Xavier Irwin | September 17, 1996 |
| Emilio Simeon Alluè | September 17, 1996 |
| Richard Joseph Malone | March 1, 2000 |
| Walter James Edyvean | September 14, 2001 |
| Richard Gerard Lennon | September 14, 2001 |
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Styles of Bernard Francis Law |
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| Informal style | Cardinal |
| See | Boston (Emeritus) |
Bernard Francis Law (born November 4, 1931) is an American cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church. He is Archbishop emeritus of Boston, former archpriest of the Basilica di Santa Maria Maggiore, and Cardinal Priest of Santa Susanna, the American Catholic church in Rome.
Law was the Archbishop of Boston from 1984 until his resignation on December 13, 2002, in response to the Roman Catholic Church sex abuse scandal after church documents showed he had extensive knowledge of sexual abuse committed by dozens of Catholic priests within his archdiocese. One priest alone was alleged to have raped or molested 130 children over decades, while Law and other local officials moved him among churches rather than going to the authorities.
Two years after resigning from his position in Boston, which the Church called "an important step in the healing process",Pope John Paul II appointed Law as Archpriest of the Basilica di Santa Maria Maggiore in Rome in 2004. He resigned from this position upon reaching the age of 80 in November 2011.
Law was born in the Mexican city of Torreón, Coahuila, on November 4, 1931. He attended schools in New York, Florida, Georgia, and Barranquilla, Colombia, before graduating from Charlotte Amalie High School in St. Thomas, Virgin Islands. While in high school he was employed by the Virgin Islands Daily News.
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