Groups urging reform in the Catholic Church called Cardinal Bernard F. Law’s Dec. 13 resignation as Archbishop of Boston a “necessary but not sufficient” step in the healing process following a year of revelations about clergy sexual abuse and cover-up, but said the Church has yet to fully address concerns of the laity.

Law, who has been temporarily replaced by Bishop Richard G. Lennon, represented only the beginning of a larger problem, according to representatives of the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (SNAP), a support network begun in 1989 for victims of clergy abuse.

“The resignation of Cardinal Law is a very positive move in that it makes room for healing and recovery on the part of some survivors,” said Bill Gately, a regional director of SNAP. However, he added, “it is only a first step, and [Law] is only the figurehead of a much bigger problem.”

Mike Emerton, spokesman for Voice of the Faithful, a lay Catholic group calling for a greater role for the laity in church affairs, agreed.

“Cardinal Law stepping down does not address the problem,” Emerton said. “The problem is a culture of secrecy and a culture that puts the reputation of the Catholic Church over the safety of the children.”

Some critical of the church questioned whether Lennon, as transitional head of the archdiocese, would be able to heal the wounded Church.

“A month into his tenure he’s made no significant moves to reach out to survivors and certainly has not reached out to Voice of the Faithful, despite our several attempts … to reach out to him,” said Luise Dittrich, a spokeswoman for the group.

“They need to find someone who will act as a moral leader,” said Ann Hagan Webb, another regional director of SNAP, “because the Church in Massachusetts is so shattered.”

Emerton also said the Church needed to act on its rhetoric of healing.

“Within the Archdiocese of Boston, the word that has come out from the chancery is unity among Catholics to promote healing,” Emerton said.

But he said the archdiocese’s actions, including banning Voice of the Faithful from meeting on Church property, counteract this goal.

“It’s divisive, and it’s an affront to all Catholics,” Emerton said.

Gately agreed, saying the Church needs to prove itself to its parishioners.

“The laity need to get a message that they can depend on,” said Gately, “a message that is consistent with action.”

Donna Morrisey, spokeswoman for the archdiocese, said the Church is implementing new programs and policies aimed to prevent abuse and repair the “breach of trust.”

“Our first desire has been and remains to settle these cases,” she said. “We believe that it is an important step in the healing process.”

Morrisey cited difficulties due to the number of plaintiffs and lawyers involved, but Gately accused the archdiocese of purposely delaying settlements.

“The archdiocese still works against the promises made,” he said. “It is still stonewalling the process of settlements” for victims of abuse, he added.

Many Catholics say they are no longer willing to take the archdiocese at its word.

“The crisis in the church will probably get worse before it gets better,” Dittrich said, “particularly if the hierarchy continues to spurn and reject the gifts, insights, knowledge and expertise of its own laity.”

Emerton agreed the laity must be given a greater voice in the Church before it can truly be healed, including increasing the role for groups like Voice of the Faithful.

“Look at the current crisis as alarms that went off and a structure that has burned,” he said. “We have to rebuild the structure and install a fire alarm system. Look at Voice of the Faithful as that first warning system.”

Emerton said his faith was not broken, but his trust in the management of the archdiocese was shaken, and the best way to rebuild that trust was for the Church to become more transparent and involve lay people in Church affairs.

“The lifting of these bans needs to happen,” he said, “and the hierarchy needs to understand that for the first time in a very long time in the Catholic Church, you have the laity energized in a very positive way.”