Cardinal reveals plot to oust Boston archbishop

A number of American cardinals in Rome today for a crisis summit with the Pope were reported to be plotting the removal of Cardinal Bernard Law, the archbishop of Boston who has been at the centre of the US Roman Catholic church's child abuse crisis.

The Los Angeles Times yesterday quoted an anonymous cardinal as saying he had been "commissioned" by some senior colleagues to pursue the case against Cardinal Law with the Vatican.

"If the Holy See wants to send a strong signal of quality and standards of leadership, he will have to be replaced," the cardinal was quoted as saying. "This cannot be a phaseout."

Though the paper gave no hint as to its source, the Los Angeles archbishop, Cardinal Roger Mahony, has already implied that he would resign if he were in the same situation.

California is a centre of liberalism in the church, whereas Cardinal Law has stood firmly alongside the Pope in opposing change on issues such as celibacy and women priests.

Hundreds of allegations of sexual abuse against American priests have surfaced in the past three months, but Boston - the country's most loyally Catholic city - has been at the centre of the crisis, with Cardinal Law implicated in covering up the behaviour of known serial child molesters.

Just before leaving for Rome - along with 11 of America's 13 cardinals - Cardinal Law made his first public appearance in a fortnight when he celebrated mass at his cathedral. About 40 protesters stood outside, some calling for his arrest.

Inside, a congregation of about 600 gave him a standing ovation after he spoke with greater contrition than in his past public statements.

"Regrettably, I and many others have been too late to recognise the inadequacy of past policies, the dimensions of the crisis and the changes required to restore a sense of public trust," he said. He did not repeat his refusal to resign.

The cardinal paid a secret visit to the Pope last week, at a time when he was widely thought to be holed up in his Boston residence.

The two-day meeting of a dozen US cardinals at the Vatican is expected to focus on producing a stricter code of conduct that will mandate the US church to report suspected priests to the police. Cardinal Mahony wants the Pope to impose worldwide standards.

The cardinals also need to decide whether priests who admit sexual offences should be defrocked at once. There may also be discussion about laying down stricter rules for the training and supervision of priests, plus talks about guidelines on supporting victims of abuse - and how to deal with their lawsuits.

But, as so often in the Catholic church, the backstage intrigues may be far more interesting than the formal debate.

The Pope is due to be present much of the time, despite his fragile health. Given his views, the wider issue of reforming the priesthood to bring in married men and women is expected to be given short shrift, a situation likely to continue for the rest of this papacy.

John Paul's successor may find it harder to continue the policy, given the direction of lay opinion and the difficulties in recruiting willing celibates.

The Pope may not have helped the recruitment process when he told a group of new priests on Sunday that Jesus asked them "to be perfect, as your heavenly father is perfect".