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  Disgraced Cardinal Says Memorial Mass

By Philip Pullella and Claudia Parsons
Swissinfo.org [Vatican City]
April 11, 2005

VATICAN CITY (Reuters) - The disgraced former archbishop of Boston has said a memorial mass for PopeJohn Paul at the Vatican as a few protesters outside remind the world of the sexual abuse scandal thathas rocked the Church.

Cardinal Bernard Law, who said the mass in his capacity as archpriest of a Rome basilica, praised the Popeas a teacher who managed to influence people's lives when he was young and strong but no less so when he wasold and frail.

Law celebrated the Mass on Monday as Catholic Cardinals started their last week of preparations beforemany of them will seal themselves off from the world in a secret conclave entrusted with the task of choosing anew pope.

"In these (recent) days we lived, almost touched, the love of the city of Rome for their pastor, a love that thePope returned a hundred fold," Law said, speaking in Italian and referring to the millions who turned out to seethe pope's body.

Outside the basilica, two leaders of a group representing victims of child clerical abuse protested, saying theChurch was "rubbing salt in an open wound" by having allowed Law to say the memorial mass.

"He is like the poster child for the sex abuse scandal," said Barbara Blaine who came to Rome on behalf ofsome 5,600 members of the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests.

Blaine and Barbara Dorris, who both said they were molested as children, handed out fliers and spoke to acrowd of TV news crews before being escorted off St. Peter's Square by police.

Vatican security officials later escorted them into the church for the mass, which went on without incident.

Law was forced to resign as archbishop of Boston in 2002 over the abuse scandal. He was blamed forallowing priests known to have sexually abused minors to be moved from parish to parish instead of beingsacked.

The Vatican defended him and later, in a decision that shocked many, gave him the top position at Rome'sprestigious Basilica of St. Mary Major.

COUNTDOWN TO CONCLAVE

After a break on Sunday, cardinals resumed their preparatory meetings, known as "general congregations"open to all cardinals currently in Rome.

At their meeting before the Mass on Monday, the cardinals asked the world's Roman Catholics to prayintensely for their enlightenment.

"The cardinals renewed their insistent plea to the people of God to accompany them with intense prayers thesedays as they prepare for the conclave and so that the Holy Spirit guides the cardinal electors," a statement said.

The cardinals also decided to allow the public to pray before John Paul II's tomb as of Wednesday. The cryptsbelow St Peter's have been closed since his burial on Friday.

On April 18, 115 of those under 80 will enter the conclave to choose a new pope from among their ranks inwhat is arguably the most difficult conclave to face the 1.1 billion member Roman Catholic Church in moderntimes.

Cardinals will vote once on the first day and twice a day thereafter until one candidate has reached a majorityof two thirds plus one.

The man they pick will face the almost impossible job of following one of history's most dynamic papacies.They all know that his every move will be compared to John Paul.

After speaking to reporters for a week after the Pope's death, the cardinals have agreed to a self-imposedgagging order.

Andrew Greeley, sociologist and religious affairs commentator from Chicago, sharply criticised the cardinals'silence in the period before the conclave.

No favourite has emerged, but there have been loud calls for the pope to come from the developing world,where Catholicism's numbers are greatest and where it is growing fastest.

Some of the faithful are clamouring for an African pope, saying such a man on the throne of St. Peter coulddraw attention to the continent's many problems just as John Paul focused the world on Eastern Europe beforethe fall of the Berlin Wall.