20171220T1234-13321-CNS-OBIT-LAW.jpg

Cardinal Bernard Law, who had been one of the United States' most powerful and respected bishops until his legacy was blemished by the devastating sexual abuse of minors by priests in his Archdiocese of Boston, died early Dec. 20 in Rome at the age of 86. He is pictured in a 2002 photo in Washington. (CNS/Brendan McDermid, Reuters)