Reiterating his reliance upon other bishops in the handling of former priest John J. Geoghan, Cardinal Law said in depositions released to the public yesterday that he had knowledge of the molestation allegations against Geoghan while he was a priest in Boston area churches.
The deposition was in regard to a civil lawsuit brought by 86 people who claimed Geoghan sexually abused them while they were children, and was taken over several days in May and July of 2002. The deposition revealed Law’s knowledge of a diagnosis in 1989 labeling Geoghan as a homosexual pedophile, though he did later laicized Geoghan in 1993.
In the deposition, Law said he used the evaluations of medical and psychiatric professionals who treated Geoghan at the Saint Luke Institute and The Institute of the Living in the mid-1980s. Both treatment facilities diagnosed Geoghan with forms of pedophilia, according to records filed in the deposition. Law said he also relied up the recommendations of those who worked for him when deciding to reassign Geoghan.
”I relied on those who assisted me in this matter to do all that was appropriate,” said Law, who resigned as Archbishop of Boston in December, due to the sex abuse scandal.
A letter sent to Law in 1984 from a mother of seven alleged victims of Geoghan’s sexual abuse while he was a priest at St. Brendan’s in Dorchester was marked urgent and passed on to Bishop Thomas Daily, requesting in writing that he ‘follow through’ with the matter. Although Law said he failed to recognize his handwriting on the letter, he admitted the matter was one he asked Daily to follow through on urgently.
That same year, Geoghan was sent to the Saint Luke Institute in Maryland, but still continued to be shuffled among various parishes in the Boston area.
Law admitted that he transferred Geoghan and other priests accused of sexual misconduct from parish to parish instead of removing the priests after receiving sexual abuse allegations.
‘It was my practice then, and is now, to deal with these personal issues in an orderly way and not through someone else,’ Law said.
Alleged victims of Geoghan’s abuse were present yesterday morning, when video excerpts of the deposition were played at a press conference held by Attorney Mitchell Garabedian.
Expressing his disgust with Law’s testimony, alleged victim Patrick McSorley said he felt that all supervisors associated with Geoghan should step down due to their handling of alleged pedophiles.
Hingham resident Michael Linscott, 45, was an altar boy at St. Paul’s parish when he said his alleged molestation occurred.
‘I’m just amazed and appalled,’ Linscott said in response to Law’s testimony. ‘I once believed Cardinal Law didn’t know anything [of the abuse].’
In addition to the 86 cases brought against Geoghan, which were eventually settled by the church for $10 million, Garabedian said he is bringing 70 new cases against Geoghan and 20 other priests. According to Garabedian, there are approximately 10 new names in the suit, with cases spanning about 10 years.
‘Everybody seems to have knowledge of Father Geoghan, but did nothing,’ Garabedian said.
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