Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney said on Thursday that church leaders responsible for protecting priests accused of sexually abusing children should go to jail, and vowed to find a way to bring criminal indictments against Cardinal Bernard Law and his aides.
Romney's remarks came a day after Massachusetts Attorney General Tom Reilly said he could not bring any criminal charges against Law and his top aides in the Boston Archdiocese, even though his investigation documented 789 people who say they were molested by priests and church workers since 1940.
The report said Law, the Catholic Church's senior U.S. prelate who resigned as archbishop last year, bore "ultimate responsibility" for the sexual abuse that occurred during his almost 19-year tenure.
"The conduct which was outlined in the attorney general's report must be illegal," Romney said. "People need to go to jail for what happened here."
Asked if he meant Law in particular, Romney said he meant "the people responsible for not protecting our children."
Reilly's 16-month investigation found "overwhelming evidence" that for many years Law and his senior officials had direct knowledge that numerous children had been sexually abused by priests working in the archdiocese.
Reilly said he was unable to bring criminal charges against Law and his top aides because the child abuse reporting law in Massachusetts did not include priests until 2002.
While Romney said he trusted Reilly's legal judgment, he had asked his chief legal counsel to meet with the attorney generals' office and look into the matter.
"Is there not any way we can bring indictment against these people?" Romney asked.
During Law's tenure, 48 priests were accused of sexually abusing children, according to Reilly's report. Law resigned under pressure after documents showed he and other former top archdiocesan officials left known pedophile priests in active ministry or transferred them from church to church without notifying parishioners.
Several of Law's top aides have gone on to become bishops in other U.S. cities.