A cardinal who spoke to the Times on condition of anonymity told the paper that high-ranking members of the clergy are united in their belief that Law must step down before the church can begin to heal from the sexual abuse scandal that has its epicenter in the Boston archdiocese.

The cardinal said that he has been "commissioned" by his colleagues to appeal directly to the Vatican for Law's resignation, the Times reported.

"If the Holy See wants to send a strong signal of quality and standards of leadership," the cardinal told the Times, Law "will have to be replaced. This cannot be a phaseout."

The cardinal told the Times that Law should step down before the June meeting of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops in Dallas.

Cardinal Law and other US cardinals arrived in Rome today for a conference with the Pope on the abuse scandal. Upon arriving in Rome, Law declined comment, according to the Associated Press.

The cardinal noted his remarks at the Cathedral of the Holy Cross in the South End yesterday, when he called the scandal a "wake-up call" for the Catholic Church in the United States and said that it "must spark immediate and decisive changes."

Official meetings between the Pope and cardinals are set to begin tomorrow.

Donna Morrissey, spokeswoman for the Archdiocese of Boston, told the AP this morning that she had not seen the Times' report and referred questions about the meeting to the Vatican.

A Vatican spokesman contacted by the Times would not comment.

Read the report from today's L.A. Times