Man Says Law Ignored Wife's Complaint

NEWTON, Mass. -- A Franklin, Mass., man said Thursday that Cardinal Bernard Law ignored his ex-wife's report of sexual assault by a priest in 1984.

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NewsCenter 5's Steve Sbraccia reported that Gregory Nash wrote to then-Archbishop Law complaining that the Rev. Anthony Rebeiro allegedly sexually assaulted Nash's wife, once in the church rectory and once during a visit to her home.

Nash said he reported the incident to the pastor and to a regional bishop and received no help, so he complained to Law.

"I wrote a long letter to him, described to him in detail what had happened and how we were so hopeful, given the publicity that had been given to him as he came to this archdiocese," Nash said. "All the positive kinds of things that were said about him, saying that he was the shepherd who was going to take care of his flock."

Nash said he was stunned by Law's answer. Law wrote: ''After some consultation, I find that this matter is something that is personal to Father Rebeiro and must be considered such.''

Rebeiro has been suspended in relation to other allegations that he abused a child in Natick in the early 1970s.

Although Nash is working with attorney Eric MacLeish, he said that he is not looking for monetary compensation.

"Mr. Nash is not a party to any lawsuit," MacLeish said. "Mr. Nash is cooperating with the Archdiocese of Boston to meet with the Archdiocesan Offices of Healing, so that all of the information about Father Rebeiro that is relevant to the archdiocesan inquiry about him can be provided to them."

Rebeiro denied the allegations, telling The Boston Globe they are not true. Nash said that his ex-wife is comfortable with him going public and that he talked with her on the phone about it before releasing the letter.