Cardinal Law wishes he could 'undo the harm'

Cardinal Bernard Law, criticized for his handling of sex abuse allegations against priests, addressed churchgoers Sunday at Boston's Cathedral of the Holy Cross.

BOSTON, Massachusetts (CNN) -- Cardinal Bernard Law of Boston received a standing ovation Sunday after telling parishioners he wished he could "undo the harm" from the handling of sex abuse allegations against priests.

"I wish that I could turn the clock back and undo the harm and hurt that have been caused to children, to families and others as a result of some actions and decisions made both before my arrival here in 1984 and during my tenure as archbishop," he said at the beginning of Mass at the Cathedral of the Holy Cross in Boston.

Law, who has rejected calls for his resignation, acknowledged he was slow to react to the problem.

"Regrettably, I and many others have been late to recognize the inadequacy of past policies, the dimensions of the crisis and the changes required to restore a sense of trust," said Law, whom critics have accused of not doing enough to keep sexually abusive priests away from children.

"The repeated public calls for my resignation are a clear signal that many feel that my leadership efforts in this area have been inadequate."

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Law, who travels this week to the Vatican with other U.S. cardinals to discuss the scandal, called it a "wake-up call for the church," and he said he would impress upon Vatican officials how seriously it has affected the American church.

"The crisis of clergy sexual abuse of minors is not just a media-driven or public perception concern in the United States but is a very serious issue undermining the mission of the church," he said.

After completing his remarks and asking the congregation at Holy Cross to pray for him, Law was given an extended standing ovation.

Other church leaders speak out

Other top church officials also weighed in on the issue Sunday.

Washington's archbishop, Cardinal Theodore McCarrick, who discussed the scandal directly with Pope John Paul II two weeks ago, said that the pope is "brokenhearted" by the effect the scandal was having on American Catholics.

"He knows that Catholics in the United States have been tremendously faithful, tremendously loyal and tremendously helpful," McCarrick said in an interview on NBC's "Meet the Press." "I think he just feels brokenhearted by the fact that we've let them down."

Bishop William Skylstad, who also will attend the Vatican discussions, said Sunday the church has arrived at "a unique moment of opportunity that we dare not squander in the church as we look to the future."

Cardinal Edward Egan of New York and other U.S. cardinals travel this week to the Vatican to discuss the abuse scandal.

"You must say that our credibility has been weakened to some extent," Skylstad, vice president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, said on ABC's "This Week." "We need to look at that honestly and seriously to see not only how we can repair that breach of trust but also how we can look to the future and strengthen it in the future."

New York's archbishop, Cardinal Edward Egan, who also faced criticism for his handling of sexual abuse allegations against priests, said in a letter read at Masses across the archdiocese Sunday that he was "deeply sorry" if mistakes were made.

"It is clear that today, we have a much better understanding of this problem," Egan wrote. "If in hindsight we also discover that mistakes may have been made as regards prompt removal of priests and assistance to victims, I am deeply sorry."

Egan said that in the past 15 years, both in New York and as a bishop in Bridgeport, Connecticut., he consistently sought and acted upon the best independent advice available to him from medical experts and behavioral scientists.

He also said he would do everything in his power to ensure that such abuse by clergy never happens again.

"You should expect nothing less of me and the other leaders of the church."

Egan celebrated Mass Sunday at a mostly Spanish-speaking parish in the Bronx, where his letter was read by two clergyman. He did not directly address the current crisis except to ask parishioners for their prayers.

"We're facing a very tragic situation. Our Holy Father wishes to speak with us about [the scandal], and we're anxious to hear what he has to say," Egan said.

Parishioners in the Detroit archdiocese also heard Sunday from their leader, Cardinal Adam Maida, who asked for forgiveness from "anyone who was ever abused by one of our priests."

Maida, in a letter read at Masses, said he regretted that efforts to respect confidentiality may have been perceived as secrecy and that the Detroit archdiocese would provide its files on child sexual abuse allegations in the past 14 years to civil authorities.

"I hope and pray that you can always continue to say, 'I'm proud to be a Catholic,'" Maida wrote.

No detailed program likely from Vatican meeting

In his remarks Sunday, Law said he does not expect the discussions at the Vatican to result in the announcement of a detailed program. Rather, he said it would form the basis for discussions in June among all the U.S. bishops when they meet in Dallas, Texas.

Law said he planned to raise several issues at the Vatican meeting, including how to ensure children are protected, how to provide support for victims of abuse, how to provide treatment for priests who have abused children and how to increase openness so that "essential information" is "shared with those who have a right to know."

Law also said the Catholic laity "should have a stronger voice in the life of the church," including putting laypersons on boards that review allegations of child sexual abuse by priests.

Skylstad also said he does not expect to come back from Rome with a definitive program.

"This is a gradual process," he said. "I would hope that the meeting itself will help frame our discussion and goals that we address as the bishops meet in Dallas in June."

McCarrick said he hopes the church can also develop a national policy with standards for dealing with abuse allegations, rather than letting each U.S. diocese decide on rules for itself. At minimum, that policy should make sure that when credible allegations of abuse are raised against a priest, he is immediately removed form ministry and his victims are given help.

"I believe that someone who really has pedophilia should never return to the ministry," McCarrick said. "In the beginning, I think we thought this was curable. We didn't realize that this was a compulsion ... Now we know that that was too optimistic, and you can't allow that risk to hurt children."