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CNN LIVE AT DAYBREAK

Morning Coffey

Aired December 16, 2002 - 06:26   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: The resignation of Cardinal Bernard Law as head of the Boston archdiocese in no way ends the legal problems for the Catholic Church. Not in the least.
To explain, let's turn to DAYBREAK'S legal analyst, Kendall Coffey, who joins us on the phone from Miami -- good morning.

KENDALL COFFEY, CNN LEGAL ANALYST: Hey, good morning, Carol.

COSTELLO: What's the biggest legal challenge for Cardinal Law?

COFFEY: Well, as if plaintiffs' lawyers representing over 400 victims weren't issues enough, there is also a grand jury's criminal investigation examining potentially issues of whether church leaders could have violated child endangerment laws or even committed acts of obstruction of justice. This has got to be first and foremost something that's treated seriously.

COSTELLO: The state attorney general is under intense pressure from the public to come up with some sort of criminal charge to levy against Cardinal Law. Do you really think that will happen?

COFFEY: Well, from what he's signaling so far, probably no, although it puts Cardinal Law in a difficult quandary because one of the standard strategies in dealing with a criminal investigation is to make sure you don't create problems by the testimony you give before a grand jury. So that means take the fifth amendment, probably something Cardinal Law is not going to want to do, probably something he isn't going to do.

COSTELLO: What about other members in the cardinal's office?

COFFEY: Well, it's clear that there is going to be a wide ranging examination not just in Boston, but throughout the country. Carol, in New Hampshire, it got serious enough that they were actually threatening criminal action against the Catholic Church itself. Here, it's being indicated that Massachusetts laws, which have been strengthened only recently, may not be tough enough. But if a grand jury is investigating and subpoenaing eight church officials, everyone's got to take it seriously and it's certainly possible that some kind of further charges are going to be brought.

COSTELLO: And we'll be continuing to follow this.

Kendall Coffey, many thanks for you, I mean to you, for answering our questions this morning.

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