The cardinal's cover-up: a new play skewers an arrogant church with its own words.

Cardinal Bernard Law, the man who covered up so much abuse by Roman Catholic priests in Boston, is getting an unwelcome star turn in Sin: A Cardinal Deposed, onstage through April 10 at Chicago's Bailiwick Repertory Theatre.

Out playwright Michael Murphy says his own distress drew him to Law's story. "I went into this project thinking [children were abused] because the church had gay or emotionally confused men in the priesthood," Murphy explains. "As a gay man, I found that alarming."

Sin is a searing testament to the abuse of priestly power. Consisting entirely of real-life texts, it dramatizes the clash between Cardinal Law and the lawyer who confronted him in a historic 2002 deposition. Under close questioning, Law (Jim Sherman) tries to explain why he promoted priests like convicted pedophile John Geoghan despite repeated complaints. Law's testimony is interspersed with readings by actors portraying witnesses and victims, taken from survivors' accounts and letters mailed to Law's office. They provide a damning counterpoint to Law's claim that he knew nothing "about the abuse.

For victims, Sin offers solace, says director David Zak. "We've heard from survivors across the country who I think are taking hope in the fact that we're daring to put this on."

Sin concludes with Law penning his remorseful resignation in December 2002, but his true feelings remain obscure. "He's a brilliant man," Murphy says. "His character flaw, I think, is his ambition. That made him put blinders on."