BOSTON -- The bishop put in charge of the Boston Archdiocese said Wednesday that Cardinal Bernard Law's resignation helped the church begin healing from the clergy sexual abuse scandal.

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Bishop Discusses Leading Archdiocese

NewsCenter 5's Amalia Barreda reported that Bishop Richard Lennon was appointed interim leader of the Archdiocese of Boston nearly seven weeks ago. He said that in many ways, the last few weeks have been positive.

"They have been a very unique experience that I could never have imagined," Lennon said. "Very positive, in many respects."

Lennon said that he has been welcomed during his visits to parishes, including one Wednesday morning in Marlboro to celebrate National Catholic School Week.

Other times, Lennon has met with the alleged victims of abuse by priests. He said their stories have been moving.

"[I hear] the betrayal that they suffered, the hurt and their relationship for some of them with God and the church," Lennon said.

Lennon said that Law's departure has helped the archdiocese move forward.

"I think that his offering his resignation and it being accepted has opened the possibility for the church to go forward," he said.

Some alleged victims have called for New Hampshire Bishop John McCormack to also step down, but Lennon said that McCormack leaving would not necessarily help matters.

"I do wonder whether or not it is the response that will resolve the issue," Lennon said. "I think those are very open questions, and I'm not convinced that always a resignation is in fact the answer to respond and to lead to a corrective situation."

Lennon also talked about a number of Catholic schools that are closing around the archdiocese. He said they were slated to close because of financial difficulties before the scandal broke, although he admitted that the scandal exacerbated the situation for those schools.