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Deposition of Cardinal Bernard Law
May 8, 2002, Suffolk County Superior Court

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Q. William F. McCall, was he present?

A. He was.

Q. And do you know where Mr. McCall lives?

A. Like -- I don't know. I don't know where he lives, but it's in the archdiocese, and he's in real estate.

Q. McCall Real Estate? There's a company by that name. Okay. And he was, like the other lay people, he spoke against the settlement?

A. That's correct.

Q. James Mooney, was he present?

A. I -- you know, I'm not certain of that. I'd have to check that out.

Q. So you don't remember whether he was there or not?

A. I can't remember whether he was there or not which would indicate that if he was there, he didn't speak.

Q. There was a Robert Morrissey, was he there?

A. He was.

Q. And do you know where Mr. Morrissey lives?

A. Yes. He lives in Belmont.

Q. Do you know what street?

A. I do not.

Q. Do you know what Mr. Morrissey does for a living?

A. He's a lawyer.

Q. Do you know what firm?

A. I think he's in his own firm, isn't he? Yeah, I think he's in his own firm.

Q. All right. And did Mr. Morrissey speak about the settlement agreement?

A. I can't recall whether he spoke or not.

Q. How about Mr. Giles Mosher?

A. He would pronounce it Mosher.

Q. Mosher, I apologize for that.

A. Was present.

Q. He lives where?

A. He's a retired banker, and I can't recall whether he spoke or not, but clearly after the meeting he gave me a call of some -- to encourage me, in which he, he affirmed the decision that the council had taken.

Q. And Mr. John McNeice, was he present?

A. He was not present.

Q. How about Michael Valerio?

A. Mrs. Michael Valerio.

Q. Oh, Mrs. Michael Valerio, what is her first name?

A. Helen.

Q. Helen Valerio?

A. Yes.

Q. Do you know where she lives?

A. I'm not sure what city they are in.

Q. Was she present?

A. She was present.

Q. Did she speak against the settlement?

A. She spoke against the settlement.

Q. Do you know if she works?

A. She -- yes, she and her husband together ran a business, I think a Papa Gino's, I believe that was it, and they sold that and....

Q. And you don't know where she lives?

A. I do not.

Q. Do you know what town or city?

A. No.

Q. Someplace in the archdiocese?

A. Oh, yes, it's in the archdiocese.

Q. Do you know what parish they belong to?

A. I do not.

Q. How about Mr. Francis Ward?

A. He was not present.

Q. Any of these people who were present, I've asked you about if they spoke against the agreement, but did anybody talk about how to convey this news to the 86 plaintiffs?

A. No. The responsibility of the council is circumscribed. Their responsibility was to pass on what is called an extraordinary act of administration and to give me their best counsel, and in this case to give their approval for me to execute an extraordinary act of administration. That's their competence, and that was the question before them. And it is to that question that they responded. And it's a fiscal committee, and their responsibility is with regard to the fiscal well-being of the archdiocese. That is their responsibility specifically.

Q. Did Bishop Edyvean indicate that he thought a press release should go out Friday or did he make any comments about that at all?

A. I'm not certain to what extent Bishop Edyvean was involved in that.

Q. The chancellor, Charles Smith, is that it?

A. No, David.

Q. David Smith. He's not on the council, is he?

A. He is now. Who -- would they have somebody by the name of Cataldi listed there?

Q. No. He replaced that person?

A. Yes, yes, he's on the council.

Q. Is he on the council by virtue of being chancellor or --

A. That's correct, by virtue of being chancellor.

Q. So Mr. Cataldi was before him?

A. That's correct. And Mr. Jerry, Jerry Reilly before that.

Q. Did Mr. Smith indicate that a press release should go out Friday?

MR. ROGERS: You mean during the meeting?

MR. GORDON: On the finance committee.

A. No, at the finance committee.

Q. After the finance committee's meeting because it was Mr. Smith's release.

A. That's correct.

MR. ROGERS: Did he indicate to whom?

MR. GORDON: To the Cardinal.

MR. ROGERS: Okay.

A. I believe, as I can reconstruct it as best I can, that that decision was a consensus decision, that the wisest and best way for us to do this would be to say what happened as fully, as accurately, and in as timely a fashion as we could so that the facts would be out before the public, and we were very anxious that that happen. We have found in the process of these months that very often what gets out are not facts, and we wanted to be sure in this case that facts were out before the public.

Q. Why was it important to have facts out before the public?

A. Well, because I think that there was great interest in this issue, and it was known that there was going to be a meeting, and therefore the facts should be out. The results of the meeting should be out. They were going to get out one way or the other.

Q. Even with the movement away from secrecy that's now going on in the archdiocese, now throughout the country on some of these issues, there are still some things you know have to be maintained confidential, for instance, confessions. There's no doubt in your mind that that will be never be revealed; is that correct?

A. That's correct.

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