Cardinal in sex abuse scandal may resign

Cardinal Bernard Law of Boston, the man at the centre of the sex abuse scandal in the Catholic Church in America, has discussed his possible resignation with leading officials in Rome, sources in the Vatican revealed yesterday.

He meets the Pope today, when the issue is bound to come up again. The cardinal, who is under intense pressure to go from priests and lay members of his archdiocese, has been in Rome all week for crisis talks.

In the face of lawsuits from victims of abuse by priests under his charge, he has recommended that the Church apply for protective bankruptcy to protect its assets. This would require handing control of church funds to a civil judge, a move the Vatican would strongly resist.

The cardinal was served a subpoena last Friday to appear before a Massachusetts grand jury investigating the sex abuse allegations.