The Pope accepts the resignation of a cardinal of the United States accused of sexual abuse – 28/07/2018

Pope Francis accepted the resignation of 88-year-old American cardinal Theodore McCarrick, suspended from the ministry after being accused of badual abuse, the Holy See said in a statement released on Saturday. The pontiff ordered at the same time that the archbishop emeritus of Washington remains removed from office and in a retreat of prayer and penance until they are clarified in a canonical trial the denunciations against him.

The father received the letter in which Cardinal Theodore McCarrick, Archbishop Emeritus of Washington, USA, submitted his resignation as a member of the College of Cardinals ", says the statement issued by the Vatican Press Room

"Pope Francis accepts this resignation from the College of Cardinals and has ordered his suspension from any public prosecutor, with the exception of the law. the obligation to remain in a house, which must still be indicated, to lead a life of prayer and penance until the charges against him are examined in a regular canonical trial, "adds the text.

McCarrick , a priest who was promoted or bishop and archbishop in the archdiocese of New York before his transfer to Washington in 2001, is one of the most internationally known American Cardinals on the international scene e.

Although it is officially retired, it all goes to defend human rights. He has been particularly active in defending the measures taken against pedophile priests in the United States.

In a statement issued June 20, Cardinal Timothy Dolan of New York explained that his diocese had received allegations of Alleged abuses by McCarrick dating back to "nearly 45 years."

McCarrick was suspended from public office while he was investigating the complaint that he molested a teenager 40 years ago in New York. The man, then 11 years old, said that the abusive badual intercourse had lasted two decades

D & After the Children's Protection Letter, adopted in 2002 by the American bishops after the pedophile scandal that rocked the diocese of Boston, "an independent agency" conducted an investigation whose results were transmitted to a committee that considered "credible and sustained" accusations underlined Cardinal Dolan

Therefore, the Vatican Secretary of State, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, following the instructions of the Pope, ordered McCarrick to d & # 39; 39, abandon the public service, according to the note

. McCarrick denied the charges at any time . In a statement, he showed his surprise and said that he had "fully" collaborated in a Vatican investigation. In any case, although he maintains his innocence, he accepts this decision, "said Cardinal Dolan, noting that the Vatican had asked the archbishop emeritus of Washington not to" publicly exercise his ministry "

This is not the first time an American cardinal is splashed with allegations of badual abuse, allegations that have hit the Archdiocese of Boston and New York with particular virulence.

McCarrick, born in New York in 1930, was ordained a cardinal by John Paul II and participated in the conclave of 39, April 2005 during which he was elected Benedict XVI pontiff.

In recent days, one of the main collaborators of Pope, Cardinal Sean O Malley of Boston, a fighter firm against the scourge pedophilia in the clergy and president of the Commission Pontifical Council for the Protection of Children, issued a statement claiming that in the McCarrick case "the excuses are not enough."

"It is necessary and urgent to identify clear and about the allegations of badual abuse of bishops and cardinals "he added. The former Archbishop of Washington is one of the best placed prelates involved in allegations of badual abuse.

Source: agencies