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CNN Live Today

Cardinal Law Faces More Questions in Court

Aired May 10, 2002 - 12:34   ET

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

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: Turning our attention now back to the Church, and Boston's Cardinal Bernard Law facing more questions in a lawsuit over a Catholic priest accused of sexually abusing children.

Jason Carroll, as he has for about two weeks running now, live again in Boston for us -- Jason, good afternoon.

JASON CARROLL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good afternoon to you, Bill.

And we are still waiting to get transcripts from the morning session of Cardinal Bernard Law's deposition. But we already have a sense of some of what happened. Cardinal Law left just about an hour and a half ago. Right now, he is giving mass, a special mass. He will be doing that throughout the lunch break.

Attorneys representing some of defrocked Priests John Geoghan's alleged victims say Cardinal Law answered some of the questions today basically the same way he did on the first day of his deposition, basically saying that he could not remember certain details surrounding Geoghan and allegations of abuse. Cardinal Law did, however, give some insight into what steps were taken to prevent Geoghan from abusing children.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MICHAEL O'CONNELL, ATTORNEY FOR ALLEGED VICTIMS: The cardinal was asked, after Geoghan was transferred to St. Brendan's in Dorchester to St. Julius, what management tools he had in place to ensure that the abuse would not happen again. And he responded that the management tool he had in place was the trust and confidence that he put in his subordinates who were Father Geoghan's superiors. That is it. That's what happened.

PATRICK MCSORLEY, ALLEGED VICTIM: Most of the answers were, "I can't recall." And, like, he blew off the truth, basically. And you could tell he was doing it just by the way he was answering these questions. I could not shake the man's hand because I knew what was about to come was a lie.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CARROLL: Again, Geoghan was convicted of molesting a child earlier this year. But this civil suit involved 86 of Geoghan's alleged victims. And I want to talk just a little bit more about what Patrick McSorley just referred to. Basically, before this morning's deposition began, it was sort of an awkward moment. Cardinal Law walked up Patrick McSorley, tried to shake his hand. McSorley said that he simply could not bring himself to do it -- Bill.

HEMMER: Jason, thanks -- Jason Carroll in Boston.

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