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Abuse claims against archdiocese mount

Law heckled; 'Throw the bum in jail!' crowd yells

Cardinal Law speaks out on the sexual abuse claims facing the Boston Archdiocese during Sunday Mass.

BOSTON, Massachusetts (CNN) -- Cardinal Bernard Law said Sunday that the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Boston faces more than 236 legal claims over sexual abuse by priests, which prompted a finance council to turn down a settlement proposal for 86 people who say they were victims of defrocked priest John Geoghan.

Law, speaking at Mass at Holy Cross Cathedral, said the finance council refused to go along with the settlement out of fears that the church would not have enough resources to deal with the other cases.

"Up until a month ago, we thought that there were about 30 more outstanding claims beyond those 86. In recent weeks, however, that number of 30 has grown to in excess of 150 additional claims," Law said.

"It was their judgment that the dramatic increase in the number of cases had substantially altered the situation. Their concern, and I think it is a laudable concern, is that justice and equity would not be served by agreeing to this settlement for 86 persons, which would thereby negatively affect the response which the archdiocese can later make to the other victims."

EXTRA INFORMATION Background: Law and other key players  in the Catholic church scandal    MORE STORIES   •  Cardinal denies settlement with alledged sex abuse victims  RESOURCES   •  TIME.com: Catholicism in Crisis   •  The pope's letter   •  Interactive: Catholic Church faces scandal   •  In-Depth: Crisis in the Priesthood

In response to the decision, anti-Law protestors in front of the cathedral, who now gather every Sunday, held signs reading "Duped Again" and "Sell the Chancery, Pay the Victims," referring to the building housing Law's offices.

As he left the church after Mass, demonstrators chanted, "Indict Law now, throw the bum in jail!" as they gathered at a cathedral gate waving their signs at his exiting car.

Law had asked the 13-member finance council -- 12 of whom are lay people -- to approve the settlement at a meeting Friday morning, and he publicly expressed "deep regret" when it refused.

According to the archdiocese, it was the first time since Law became Boston's archbishop in 1984 that the council voted against one of his requests.

Law said Sunday that after Friday's vote, he asked his advisers on church law whether he could approve the settlement despite the council's objection. He said he was told he could not.

"I can understand ... the disappointment, the anger and even the sense of betrayal which may be in the hearts of the 86 persons and their families and friends affected by this decision," he said. "Nonetheless, I pray that as time goes on, they may be willing to help in the framing of a wider settlement which can include the victims that have only recently come forward."

The archdiocese now plans to develop a fund to compensate victims that would not involve litigation, Law said. It would be "within the means of the archdiocese," he said.

On Saturday, an attorney in the Geoghan case expressed outrage at the archdiocese's decision not to proceed with the settlement.

"What kind of example are they setting?" asked attorney Mitchell Garabedian. "They are purportedly the most moral institution in the world, but they're evil. They're nothing but evil."

Garabedian said that, as late as Thursday, attorneys for the archdiocese told him that the church had enough money to pay the settlement, which he had previously indicated could be worth around $30 million.

Geoghan is currently in prison after receiving a sentence in January of up to 10 years for fondling a young boy, and he faces other child sexual abuse charges. Authorities believe Geoghan was a serial sexual offender over many years, with as many as 200 victims.

Law's handling of the Geoghan case, and the case of another former priest, Paul Shanley, have prompted calls for the cardinal's resignation from critics who charge he did not move quickly enough to remove the priests from their ministries, despite his awareness of numerous allegations that they were abusing children. Law has refused to step down.