Plaudits for cardinal with regrets for a stain on legacy

The clergy sex-abuse scandal that so dominated the last decade of Cardinal Anthony J. Bevilacqua's life may well dominate public perception of his legacy, some observers say.

His friends and colleagues, however, described the retired archbishop of Philadelphia, who died Tuesday at age 88, as a "behind-the-scenes" prelate who did much of his best work out of public view.

Bishop Joseph Galante, head of the Diocese of Camden, on Wednesday described Bevilacqua as having been a "leading advocate for assistance for immigrants at a time when society was not as conscious of their needs."

Galante noted that Bevilacqua, already a church lawyer, also earned a civil law degree as a young priest in order to serve the immigrant poor. "I pray God will give him the reward of his labors," he said.

In a telegram to Archbishop Charles J. Chaput, Pope Benedict XVI likewise cited Bevilacqua's "long-standing commitment to social justice and the pastoral care of immigrants," and praised his contributions to church law.

Chaput said he was "greatly saddened" by the news of Bevilacqua's death, and called on Catholics of the archdiocese to pray "for the repose of his soul and that God will comfort his family as they mourn his loss."

Public appreciation of the cardinal's career may take some time, said John Allen, longtime columnist and Vatican correspondent for the National Catholic Reporter.

"Right now, there's no doubt that the sex-abuse scandal in Philadelphia had a huge impact on shaping his legacy," said Allen. Outside Philadelphia, he said, "that's all most people heard about him."

In years to come, however, "a more balanced legacy may set in," said Allen. He described Bevilacqua as a "great canon lawyer" active in the antiabortion movement who also "did a lot of work behind the scenes in terms of legal advice and management" for the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops.

"He did public stuff when he had to," said Allen, but even his decades of work on behalf of immigrants has been eclipsed by that of the more extroverted Cardinals Roger Mahony of Los Angeles and Theodore McCarrick of Washington.

At the Cathedral Basilica of SS. Peter and Paul, about 50 people were at Wednesday's noon Mass, much of which centered on remembrances of Bevilacqua. The attendance was about usual for a weekday Mass, said Donna Farrell, director of communications for the Archdiocese of Philadelphia.

After the service, a few parishioners wiped away tears and hurried off, many declining to comment.