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Father of alleged victim: Cardinal Law will answer to God

BOSTON, Massachusetts (CNN) -- Cardinal Bernard Law will have to answer to God for his handling of the case of a priest suspected of being a serial child molester, said the father of one young man who says he was a victim.

"He will have to face it when he goes before God himself," said Rodney Ford, speaking one day after the Archdiocese of Boston released more internal documents about the case of Paul Shanley, now a retired priest. "And the criminal process, I'm sure, will take place in the near future for him."

Shanley, 71, was arrested earlier this month on three counts of child rape. He has pleaded not guilty to the charges. The alleged victim in those counts is not Ford's son.

More documents in Shanley case

Tuesday, the archdiocese released 40 more documents about Shanley's case. Among them was a 1994 memo from another priest who said that a psychologist who had evaluated Shanley -- the subject of numerous molestation allegations throughout his career in the Boston area -- called the priest "damaged ... beyond repair."

The memo, written by John McCormack, who is now the bishop of Manchester, asks, "How do we protect others from him?"

McCormack wrote that it would be all right to let Shanley continue to live in California -- where he had moved in 1990 -- but said the bishop there should be informed about his situation.

But Boston church officials never told their California counterparts about Shanley's background and, in fact, said he was a priest in good standing. Later, Law recommended Shanley for a post as director of a New York City guest house run by the Catholic Church.

Law has come under sharp criticism for his handling of the case involving Shanley, who was moved from parish to parish as allegations that he molested children multiplied.

Gregory Ford's relatives sought release of the documents as they pressed ahead with a civil lawsuit against the archdiocese and Shanley. Four other alleged victims also are suing the church and Shanley.

"To let Paul Shanley run loose like they did was unthinkable," Rodney Ford said. "He harmed so many innocent children, including my son. At some point in time, the cardinal has to take responsibility for this. I compared him yesterday to a magician. He makes these files appear and disappear at an appropriate time for him. It's a disgrace."

Most of the document released Tuesday shed little new light on the case and many had already been made public.

Attorney Roderick MacLeish had been pressing for the release of Shanley's psychiatric evaluations and other documents. But most of what he got was Shanley's personal correspondence detailing his latest ailments, expenses and requests for more money to cover his costs.

In a hearing Tuesday in Middlesex Superior Court, lawyers agreed with Judge Raymond Brassard that certain medical evaluations not important to this case should not be released. Shanley's attorney also pressed for three other pages to be withheld for privacy reasons.