Theodore McCarrick was a Cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church, his last assignment service as the Archbishop of Washington, D.C. As of last week, McCarrick has become the first Cardinal to be charged with sex crimes. Specifically, McCarrick was charged with three counts of indecent assault and battery on a person over 14. The victim of McCarrick’s sexual abuse was a boy, 16 years of age at the time of the assault.
According to court records, McCarrick sexually assaulted on the campus of Wellesley College. McCarrick and the boy were on the college campus because that was the location of the boy’s brother’s wedding.
According to the victim of McCarrick’s sexual assault, the incident begam why the boy and the Bishop were walking around the college campus. McCarrick is said to have groped the boy during the expedition. McCarrick is then said to have taken the boy into a room in a building on the campus. When in the room, McCarrick reportedly fondled the 16-year-old boy. When the sexual assault was over, McCarrick gave directives to the boy, according to documentation not filed with the criminal case against the defrocked Cardinal. McCarrick evidently specifically stated:
“Go say three our fathers and a Hail Mary or it was one our father and three Hail Marys, so God can redeem you of your sins.”
McCarrick, now 91 years old, was defrocked by Pope Francis in 2019. Pope Francis took the action following an investigation by the Vatican the resulted in the confirmation of decades of rumors that McCarrick was a sexual predator.
At the time McCarrick was removed from the priesthood, a credibility crisis followed. Of course, this wasn’t the first time the church faced a credibility crisis in regard to situations involving clergy members who sexually abused children. In McCarrick’s case, authoritative Cardinals had been reporting that McCarrick’s behavior was problematic. There were rumors that McCarrick was a sexual predator, victimizing children and adults.
Despite these rumors and concerns of other church leaders, McCarrick remained an influential Cardinal, a church kingmaker. He was also an emissary of the Vatican on the international scene.
Before allegations regarding McCarrick’s sexual assault of minor boys began to circulate, a number of priests had presented claims that he inappropriately touched priests. In addition, there were numerous accusations that McCarrick has sexually assaulted seminarians, men studying to become priests.
The number of seminarians McCarrick is alleged to have sexually assaulted is unclear at this moment in time. He evidently had a pattern of inviting multiple seminarians to a vacation home, making sure there would be more young men than available beds. This would result in a seminarian having to share bed with McCarrick and improper sexual contact would be initiated by McCarrick. This scheme evidently carried on for an extended period of time.
McCarrick had served in a number of Dioceses and Archdioceses in his role as a Bishop and Archbishop. A number of these jurisdictions have settled cases involving men who alleged that were sexually assaulted by McCarrick when they were children. Some of the settlements involved priests who claim they were sexually assaulted by McCarrick.
If you’ve been the victim of sexual abuse by Catholic priests or some other type of clergy sexual abuse, the caring, tenacious legal team at The Doan Law Office is here for you. You can reach our firm any time of the day or night by calling us at (800) 349-0000. Our clergy sexual abuse lawyer hotline is staffed not only around the clock but 365 days a year, including all major holidays.
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