Several here have noted that Mr. Laird knew what was going on and tried to do the right thing. It is at least possible that he asked for laicization because he felt unable to continue to serve in a capacity that required him to vow obedience to men - to a bishop, to the pope. There have been other cases where clerical staff in chanceries knew what was happening, but said nothing because they had vowed to obey a bishop.  

These vows should be eliminated.  The fact that many "good" priests knew the secrets yet remained silent publicly shows that replacing God with an institution, a pope, or bishop  is wrong. It is a form of putting a "false god" before God, and it places the one struggling with vows of obedience to men over obedience to the truth, to God, in a challenging position. Few have the moral integrity of Fr. Roy Bourgeois, who, when told to recant his views that it is a sin to deny a sacrament to women becauses of their DNA, refused. He chose to obey God, not men.