Lawyers say 450 new clients have come forward in abuse case

BOSTON -- Attorneys for people who allege they were sexually abused by Boston-area priests said more than 450 more alleged victims have come forward since the scandal broke in January.

"Some of them realize for the first time that they're not an isolated incident," said Mitchell Garabedian, who settled with the Boston Archdiocese last month on behalf of 86 people who accused former priest John Geoghan of abusing them.

Court documents released in January showed Cardinal Bernard Law and other Roman Catholic church officials knew Geoghan had been accused of abuse but kept moving him from parish to parish.

Garabedian said he has taken on 250 new clients who said they were assaulted by Geoghan and other priests.

"The Geoghan case has opened up the flood gates," he said.

Taking on new cases

Attorney Jeffrey Newman said he has taken on 100 new cases since January. He said that after each news report about allegations against particular priests, new clients have come forward accusing those priests of abuse.

Garabedian said alleged victims "seem to draw strength from the media coverage."

Attorney Roderick MacLeish told the Boston Sunday Globe he also has received 100 new clients. A call to his office from The Associated Press was not immediately returned Sunday.

Calls for Law's resignation mounted after church personnel records released by MacLeish at a news conference last week showed Law and other archdiocese officials knew the Rev. Paul Shanley had been accused of abuse over three decades.

Law, who announced in a letter to priests Friday that he would not step down, did not say Mass at Holy Cross Cathedral on Sunday as he usually does.

In a scene that's become familiar since the clergy sexual abuse scandal began, about three dozen protesters picketed the Cathedral. Some called for criminal charges against Law.

Some worshippers expressed support for Law.

"He should stay on...he's in the best position to take care of this business," said Jim Contrino, a churchgoer at St. John the Evangelist in Quincy. "Someone new would have to start all over."

Law has not appeared in public since his letter was released and has canceled a meeting of the Presbyterial Council scheduled for Thursday, the Boston Herald reported. The Council is a group of 40 priests that advise Law on pastoral issues.

Archdiocese spokeswoman Donna Morrissey did not return calls Sunday.

Also Sunday, The Washington Post reported that the head of Milwaukee's archdiocese moved a priest who was a known sex offender from one parish to another in 1979 and did not remove him until 1992.

Archbishop Rembert G. Weakland established a 1988 program that has been lauded as a model for handling sexual abuse allegations. A call from The Associated Press to an archdiocese spokesman was not immediately returned Sunday.