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Cardinal Bernard Law, accused of covering up priestly sex abuse when he was the Boston archbishop, is to celebrate Mass Monday at St. Peter's Basilica -- a gesture of honor by the Vatican that has erupted into controversy and been denounced as "insensitive" and "embarrassing."
Law's role in the Mass at St. Peter's -- one of nine daily Masses to honor the late Pope John Paul II -- has angered American Catholics and a prominent group representing survivors of clergy molestation. Each Mass is to be delivered by a high-ranking church member.
Members of the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (SNAP) plan to protest the presence of Law, who was appointed archpriest of the basilica by the pope after the scandal erupted.
SNAP said it is "deeply concerned about Law's hurtful actions" and issued a statement on its Web site criticizing Law -- the "disgraced ex-head of the Boston Archdiocese" -- and his celebrating the Mass.
SNAP members, who will be joined by others during the week, plan to hand out pamphlets outside the basilica and hope to meet with U.S. cardinals who will help choose a new pope.
"At best, this is insensitive, at a time when millions of Catholics are trying to focus on the Pope's life and death. At worst, it rubs salt into already very deep wounds of caring Catholics and suffering victims," the group said in a written statement.
"Catholics across the globe deserve the opportunity to reflect on the life of and mourn the passing of John Paul II without the embarrassing, painful site of Cardinal Law, the 'poster child' of complicit bishops.
"Clergy sex abuse victims and their loved ones (especially the hundreds in the Boston Archdiocese) deserve to heal from their deep wounds without seeing Cardinal Bernard Law in a high profile position of honor and prominence in Rome."
Court documents showed Law knowingly moved priests accused of abuse from parish to parish, without disclosing allegations against them. He resigned amid intense public outrage in 2002, but many cardinals believe that he has paid the price for what happened in the United States.
Similar scandals involving priests and other clergy swept dioceses across the nation, forcing the Roman Catholic Church to pay hundreds of millions of dollars in settlements with victims.
"We have formally asked the American Cardinals to intervene with Vatican officials to stop Law's involvement. We encourage Cardinals to find the courage to break the code of silence in their church hierarchy, speak out on behalf of children raped in the church, and insist that Law be replaced," the SNAP statement said.
SNAP Midwest director Peter Isely, in an interview with CNN, said the message to clergy sex offenders is that "there really is very little consequence" for what they have done or are planning to do.
SNAP President Barbara Blaine said the sex abuse issue "has to be confronted, and it hasn't been from our perspective. It's been swept under the rug." She said "far too many perpetrators remain in ministry" and "the church needs the voice of the victims to sanctify itself."
In a recent ABC interview about the pope, Law refused to discuss the abuse crisis.
After the scandal came to light in 2002, John Paul II told American church leaders there was no place in the priesthood "for those who would harm the young," saying sex abuse by priests was both a sin and a crime.