The disgraced former cardinal Theodore McCarrick, removed from the clerical state in 2019 after revelations of credible allegations of sexual abuse of minors and misconduct against adults, has died in Missouri, aged 94. Source: OSV News.
Archbishop of Washington from 2001-2006 and a once powerful figure in the Church in the United States known to successfully fundraise for Vatican causes, Mr McCarrick was removed from ministry at the direction of the Vatican in June 2018 due to a credible allegation of sexual abuse of a teenager investigated by the Archdiocese of New York.
Mr McCarrick’s attorney confirmed his death on Friday. According to multiple sources, he died on Thursday.
“Today I learned of the death of Theodore McCarrick, former Archbishop of Washington,” Cardinal Robert McElroy of Washington said in a statement.
“At this moment I am especially mindful of those who he harmed during the course of his priestly ministry.
“Through their enduring pain, may we remain steadfast in our prayers for them and for all victims of sexual abuse,”
In July 2018, The New York Times detailed allegations that Mr McCarrick abused two seminarians in the 1980s that resulted in abuse settlements from the Metuchen Diocese in New Jersey, and a separate allegation from the first child Mr McCarrick baptised, who detailed instances of abuse over 20 years, beginning when the boy was 11.
The public allegations led to revelations that Mr McCarrick had been accused over the years of sexual misconduct involving adults, including against seminarians and young priests, some of which had resulted in legal settlements between dioceses and victims.
At the time he was removed from ministry, then-Cardinal McCarrick maintained his innocence and said he did not have recollection of the alleged abuse.
In July 2018, Pope Francis accepted Mr McCarrick’s resignation from the College of Cardinals and suspended him from public ministry.
In October 2018, the Vatican said a preliminary investigation into an allegation against then-Archbishop McCarrick had already occurred, and the results would be combined with a further study of documents.
Pope Francis confirmed Mr McCarrick’s removal from the priesthood in February 2019.
Mr McCarrick had faced sexual abuse-related charges in Massachusetts and Wisconsin filed in July 2021 and April 2023, respectively. These cases were ultimately dismissed with Mr McCarrick deemed unfit to stand trial due to his dementia.
FULL STORY
Disgraced former cardinal McCarrick dies at 94 (By Maria Wiering, OSV News)
