USA Today reports that Sen. Paul Kirk is “practically Boston Catholic royalty” because he is the grand-nephew of the long-serving Boston cardinal William O’Connell, who was the city’s archbishop from 1907 to 1944. But the story doesn’t explain quite what a colorful figure Cardinal O’Connell was. One of his key aides was his nephew, a priest — who turned out to be secretly married and pilfering money to support his wife. The cardinal denied it to the pope, only to be confronted with the marriage certificate. (Another priest close to O’Connell was also secretly married. What are the chances?)