en en en en en en en en en es en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en es en en en en en en en en en en ru en en en en en en en fr en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en es en en en es en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en fr en en fr en en en en en nl en en en en en en en en en en en en en de en sv en en de en en en en en de en en it en en en en en en en en en en en en
We publish the report with sorrow for the wounds that these events have caused to the victims, their families, the Church, says Vatican Secretary of State
By La Croix International staff | Vatican City
The Vatican Secretary of State says the McCarrick Report encourages the Church "to reflect deeply and ask ourselves what more we can do in the future, learning from the painful experiences of the past."
The Vatican on November 10 released the "Report on the Holy See's Institutional Knowledge and Decision-Making Related to Former Cardinal Theodore Edgar McCarrick".
The 449-page report was the result of a complex investigation that integrated information from interviews with witnesses and persons with knowledge of the facts to ascertain as complete a picture as possible.
Journalists were given the document's 14-page introduction that described the two-year investigation and an executive summary of its findings.
"We publish the report with sorrow for the wounds that these events have caused to the victims, their families, the Church in the United States, and the Universal Church" Cardinal Pietro Parolin, Vatican Secretary of State said in a statement.
"It is a substantial text, which has involved a careful examination of all the relevant documentation of the archives in the Holy See, at the Nunciature in Washington and in the dioceses of the United States involved in various ways," he said.
"The truth has been pursued, offering useful material to answer the questions raised by the matter," said Cardinal Parolin referring to the size of the report and the quantity of documents and information contained.
Archbishop Jose H. Gomez of Los Angeles, president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, welcomed the report of the Holy See's investigation into its knowledge and decision-making regarding McCarrick while he was a priest, bishop, and cardinal.
"To McCarrick's victims and their families, and to every victim-survivor of sexual abuse by the clergy, I express my profound sorrow and deepest apologies. Please know that my brother bishops and I are committed to doing whatever is in our power to help you move forward and to ensure that no one suffers what you have been forced to suffer," he said.
Pope Francis removed from the priesthood the then 88-year-old Theodore McCarrick, a former cardinal and archbishop of Washington just days before an unprecedented convocation of bishops in Rome Feb. 21-24, 2019 to tackle the sexual abuse crisis in the Church.
McCarrick was accused of sexually abusing a man in 1971 when he was a 16-year-old altar server in New York, sexually abusing another when he was still a child, and sexually harassing several seminarians.
The first child baptized by McCarrick after his ordination claimed the priest sexually abused him from age 11 to 30.
The Vatican said McCarrick was found guilty of "solicitation in the sacrament of confession and sins against the Sixth Commandment with minors and with adults, with the aggravating factor of the abuse of power."
Pope Francis confirmed the validity of the initial ruling by the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith on Jan. 11, 2019. McCarrick's appeal was rejected on Feb. 13.
He surrendered all rights and duties afforded to priests, and is prohibited from presenting himself as a priest. He is banned from celebrating the sacraments, except for in the extreme situation absolving a person in imminent danger of death.
McCarrick was suspended from ministry in 2018 and removed from the College of Cardinals.
Ordained in 1958, he became an auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of New York in 1977, then bishop of the Diocese of Metuchen, New Jersey, in 1981 and from 1986 to 2000, he was the Archbishop of Newark. He became a cardinal in February 2001 and served as Archbishop of Washington, D.C. from 2001 to 2006.
Click here to read the entire text of the McCarrick Report.
Get the latest from La Croix International. Sign up to receive our daily newsletter.
You may also like
Catholic priests in Ireland under pressure to 'perform' during COVID-19 restrictions
African Church voices “doubts” over cervical cancer vaccine
France seeks Morocco’s help in taming radical Islam
Former papal nuncio to France goes on trial for sexual assault
Blessed are those who mourn
SUPPORT LA CROIX INTERNATIONAL’S COMMUNITY OF READERS
Support La Croix International's unique blend of international Catholic journalism by making it available to people in Asia and Africa who can't afford a subscription and often don't have credit cards to pay for it either.
Synodal virtues: valuing and extending theological education
Recently ordained Congolese bishop is big on synodality
Church leaders should engage social media’s Catholic influencers
The business of simply living a normal social life
Celebrating gay relationships in church is actually quite Catholic
Why Pope Francis did not attend Queen Elizabeth’s funeral
Celebrating gay relationships in church is actually quite Catholic
The elderly pope's patience is put to the test
Elizabeth II, the “last Christian monarch”, has died
A challenge for Europe
Shaking up the economy
Peace, our common good
For 70 years she “was” the United Kingdom
Cooperation rather than competition
The elderly pope's patience is put to the test
Francis continues his push for a humbler, more open Church
The pope and the praying menace
What was the August meeting of cardinals really about?
Is Christian hospitality enough?
"What fraternity does assisted suicide build?"
Live, learn, forget, repeat
When timing is paramount
The pandemic, Christian faith and the perils of kids living in the digital world
"It’s been powerful to watch people enunciate a theology of care for creation"
Laudato si’ guides Indian archdiocese to help fisherfolk
Brazilian bishops stand up for the Yanomami people
The Gaia Man, James Lovelock
Pope calls for a new relationship with God, others and Creation
| Catholic Digest | UCAN | Living in faith | La Croix Africa | La Croix español
About Us | Contact Us| Newsletter Sign-up| Donate| Terms and Conditions| FAQ| La Croix| Confidentiality Policy| Sitemap