Theodore McCarrick

Theodore McCarrick

Theodore Edgar McCarrick is an American former cardinal and bishop of the Catholic Church. He was removed from public ministry in June 2018, became the first cardinal to resign from the College of Cardinals because of claims of sexual abuse in July 2018, and was laicized in February 2019, ceasing to be a member of the clergy. He is the most senior church official in modern times to be laicize, and is believed to be the first Cardinal ever laicizes for sexual abuse.

About Theodore McCarrick in brief

Summary Theodore McCarrickTheodore Edgar McCarrick is an American former cardinal and bishop of the Catholic Church. He was removed from public ministry in June 2018, became the first cardinal to resign from the College of Cardinals because of claims of sexual abuse in July 2018, and was laicized in February 2019, ceasing to be a member of the clergy. He is the most senior church official in modern times to be laicize, and is believed to be the first Cardinal ever laicizes for sexual abuse. McCarrik was accused of engaging in sexual conduct with adult male seminarians over the course of decades. He also was accused of sexually abusing a male minor during this period. He served as Archbishop of Washington, D. C. from 2001 to 2006, and then Archbishop of Newark from 1986 to 2000. He has been found guilty of sexual crimes against adults and minors and abuse of power and dismissed from the clergy in February2019. He will not be eligible for re-election to the Catholic priesthood until after his death in 2023. The report absolved Pope Francis of any responsibility for the alleged abuse. The pope was made aware of allegations against McCarric but did not believe them, and that Benedict XVI, in 2005, urgently sought a successor for McCarricks, the report says. The Vatican has ordered a thorough study of the entire documentation present in the Archives of the Dicasteries and Offices of the Holy See regarding the former Cardinal McCarrICK. The resulting report of the Secretariat of State, published in November 2020, stated that Pope John Paul II was made.

aware of the allegations againstMcCarrick but did. not believe they, and. that Benedict. XVI, upon learning of newly surfaced allegations, urgently seek a successor. for him in 2005. The church hierarchy in this case sparked demands for action against church leaders believed to have been responsible. The apparent lack of action from the church hierarchy has led to calls for a full investigation into the church’s handling of this case. The Catholic Church has been accused of a cover-up in the case. It has been alleged that the Vatican failed to act on multiple reports of abuse against minors between 1993 and 2016. The allegations were not known until 2018, when The New York Times published a story detailing a pattern of sexual. abuse of male seminarian and minors. The case sparked calls for the church to do more to protect children from sexual abuse by priests and bishops. The Church has denied the allegations, saying that the church has taken steps to protect minors from sexual misconduct in the past and will continue to do so in the future. The U.S. Catholic Church is investigating the allegations and will issue a statement on the matter in the coming days. It is not clear whether the church will take any further action against the former cardinal or other church leaders who are alleged to be involved in the scandal. The investigation will be conducted by the New York archbishop of New York, Cardinal Francis Spellman, and the Vatican has not commented.