BOSTON (WHDH) — The head of the Boston Globe’s Spotlight team said while their coverage of the Catholic priest sex abuse scandal changed the church, Cardinal Bernard Law leaves behind a dark legacy.
The Spotlight team won a Pulitzer in 2003 for their work in exposing the sex abuse scandal. Law became the symbol of the scandal when it was revealed that he was covering and protecting pedophile priests.
“When people die, we try to celebrates their lives. But in this case, obviously, it’s difficult to celebrate the life given what happened here in Boston,” said Walter Robinson, head of the Spotlight Team. “He became the poster boy for what really was a worldwide criminal conspiracy in almost every archdiocese to cover up for decades the crimes of priests who preyed upon children.”
Law was never criminally charged. A state investigation found child protection laws in place at the time of the abuse would not allow it. Dozens of priests were defrocked and some were convicted and sent to jail. Robinson said positive changes have since been made.
As of 2016, the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops said the church has done more than 2.4 million background checks in parishes and schools. More than 2.3 million adults and 4.2 million children have been trained on how to spot signs of abuse. Robinson said many states have also extended their statute of limitations for when sexual abuse can be reported.
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