By Diego Ribadeneira, Globe Staff, 12/15/98

W

In his first public appearance inside Holy Cross Cathedral before hundreds of bishops and a small army of journalists, Law called abortion the ''primordial evil of our day.''

It was a memorable line that foreshadowed the controversial and very public salvos Law frequently launched during his early years as leader of the fourth-largest archdiocese in the country.

As he celebrates 25 years as a bishop in the Roman Catholic Church, Law recently reflected on the successes, disappointments, and challenges of his tenure as the eighth archbishop of the Archdiocese of Boston.

Those who know him say Law, 67, is a different leader now than he was in his earlier years here.

Law, they say, used to come across as an unyielding moralist, using church teachings to scold and lecture everyone from Michael Dukakis to Paul Cellucci to leaders of the Boston public schools.

In January 1986, Law chided then-governor Dukakis for speaking at an abortion-rights rally in Boston, saying, through a spokesman, that he was ''less than pleased.''

And in 1991, Law said Cellucci should not be allowed to speak at Hudson Catholic High School, Cellucci's alma mater, because the then-lieutenant governor supported abortion rights.

But in recent years, as he has emerged as one of the nation's most prominent and influential Catholic churchmen, Law has toned down his rhetoric, say some colleagues and others who have worked with him.

''I think there has been a sort of mellowing,'' said the Rev. Walter H. Cuenin, pastor of Our Lady Help of Christians, a large parish in Newton.

It is not that Law has wavered on issues he has frequently been outspoken about, ranging from abortion to the death penalty to US policy on Cuba. But, observers say, Law is less prone to engage in public battles than he was when he came to Boston as a fairly unknown archbishop from a diocese of less than 50,000 in southern Missouri.

Today, the leader of over 2 million Roman Catholics in the archdiocese tends to work more behind the scenes than in front of the cameras.

Law acknowledges that perhaps his style has changed, but not his position. ''If that's the case, it isn't the case by design or strategy,'' said Law, in an interview inside the cardinal's sprawling Brighton residence. ''It might be the case by age. It might be the fact that when I was the new kid on the block people tended to cover what I had to say more often than they do now. I think what I've been saying has been quite consistent.''

Still, Law added, ''I don't think it's my job to be a culture cop. My job is to teach about the Lord, about the church, and about how we should live our lives as Catholics as convincingly as I can. If you have that as your prime focus, you're not going to leave that to respond to every blip that comes across your radar screen. If something is particularly obnoxious, then I'll try and react, but I think others should be doing that.''

Indeed, observers say, Law has become politically savvy and possesses a talent for cultivating relationships with people in key positions, even those he sometimes tangles with.

Recently, he and Massachusetts Senator Edward M. Kennedy persuaded two pharmaceutical firms to pay for hepatitis vaccinations for Honduras. Law also made a visit to the State House to ask Cellucci for National Guard planes to ferry supplies to Honduras, which was ravaged last month by Hurricane Mitch. Neither of these endeavors made the news, but they are good examples of how Law can make things happen.

''A lot of things that you do effectively you're not going to be able to do all the time in the public arena,'' Law said. ''You have to network in order to get things done.''

Kevin Phelan, executive vice president of the big real estate firm Meredith and Grew, and one of the many movers and shakers in Boston whom Law can call upon, said: ''I think his Rolodex would challenge anybody's in the country.''

Law has used the Boston archdiocese, which is considered one of the key Catholic communities in America, as a springboard to become a well-known and highly regarded international spokesman, particularly on issues affecting Latin America.

He has played a vital role in strengthening the Catholic Church in Cuba, traveling regularly to one of the world's last Communist strongholds, enjoying a close friendship with Cardinal Jaime Ortega of Havana, and regularly sending money and medical supplies to the island nation.

''There is no doubt Cardinal Law is a respected leader in the Catholic Church,'' said the Rev. Thomas Reese, an expert on church hierarchy and editor of America, a Jesuit magazine.

From time to time, in fact, there has been speculation that Law could be headed for the Vatican, not necessarily as pope - most Vatican insiders say fear of granting too much power to the United States leaves little chance of an American pope anytime soon - but as head of a pontifical agency.

But as his international prestige has grown, Law's critics say he has failed to pay sufficient attention to problems at home, such as the declining number of priests and growing number of Catholics who feel alienated from the church.

''He's not as keyed in to local affairs as other bishops of Boston perhaps have been,'' said Thomas H. O'Connor, emeritus professor of history at Boston College and author of ''Boston Catholics: A History of the Church and Its People.''

After more than 14 years at the seat of power, Law remains an enigma to many Catholics, a churchman who can adroitly articulate and defend the church's position on welfare reform, for example, but a pastor who has not really made a strong personal connection with his flock.

''I don't think he's been very open to talking with Catholics who disagree with some of the church's practices,'' said Dot Landry, of North Reading, a former local leader of Call to Action, a national church reform group that advocates, among other things, married and women priests.

Two years ago, Landry said, Law did not respond to an invitation to attend the annual conference of Call to Action New England. Law has said repeatedly that there is little room for discussion on church teachings.

Those who know him say that while Law can come across to strangers as somewhat aloof, that's just one side of him.

''In public, the official side of him is very formal and less personally revealing,'' Cuenin said. ''But when you get to know him as a person you realize he is a warm, compassionate, and friendly man.''

To be fair, observers say, it would be impossible to have much individual rapport in an archdiocese of Boston's size.

And Law's defenders say he has not ignored critical issues such as the decline in the number of priests. Earlier this year Law said he expected to close 40 parishes by the year 2006, in part because of the shrinking supply of priests.

''I think he's conscious of the realities he faces,'' O'Connor said.

Perhaps where Law has had the biggest impact locally is on parlaying his clout and his networking skills into tangible results, whether raising money to build AIDS hospices, working with black clergy on youth programs, or improving relations with Jews.

Law, one of the most-connected leaders in Boston, can count among his friends people like Jack Connors, the public relations guru, Thomas Flatley, the real estate developer, and investment wizard Peter Lynch.

''When the cardinal calls, I take it right away,'' said Phelan, who helped chair a party Law hosted last spring that raised several hundred thousand dollars for the archdiocese. ''He could easily be running any number of Fortune 500 companies. He's tough to say no to.''

Over the years, Connors said, Law has drawn from the strong tradition of charity among Jews to persuade some Catholic civic and business leaders to become more generous to the archdiocese.

''He has grown into the job and became a very powerful person, but he understands how to use that power for good,'' said Connors.

This story ran on page A01 of the Boston Globe on 12/15/98.
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