The American cardinal accused of sexually abusing the teenager for 5 decades, resigns

Vatican:

Pope Francis accepted the resignation of a prominent American cardinal accused of badually abusing of a teenager almost five decades ago. The Vatican said that Theodore McCarrick, the former archbishop of Washington, was removed from office in June after a review panel found out that there was "credible" evidence that He had badaulted the teenager while he was working as a priest in New York. "Last night, the Holy 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," the Vatican said in a statement released on Saturday. .

"Pope Francis accepted his resignation from the cardinalate and ordered his suspension from the exercise of any public prosecutor's office, as well as the obligation to remain in a house still be indicated to him, for a life of prayer and penance until the charges against him are examined in a regular canon trial. "

McCarrick, 88, was one of the most prominent American cardinals active on the scene International and accusations make him one of the most prominent Catholic leaders to deal with abusive claims.

Although he officially retired, McCarrick continued to travel regularly overseas, including on human rights issues. in 1958 and rose through the ranks in the Archdiocese of New York before being named Archbishop of Washington in 2001, a post he held until 2006.

The claims against it was made public in June by Cardinal Timothy Dolan, the current Archbishop

Dolan said that an independent forensic body had "thoroughly investigated" the allegation.

An examination panel consisting of jurists, law enforcement experts, parents, psychologists, a priest and a priest. His sister then "found credible and justified allegations" and the Vatican ordered McCarrick to stop practicing his priestly ministry.

At the time, McCarrick issued a statement claiming his innocence, but he added that he "cooperated fully". 19659004] Senior US church officials said they had received three allegations of badual misconduct from McCarrick with adults decades ago, two of which resulted in settlements.

The American Catholic website Crux cited a man accusing him of having mistreated him. Cathedral when he was 16 in the 1970s.

A first since 1927

McCarrick remains a priest while waiting for the Vatican inquiry process that might see him excluded from the Church.

Yet the loss of his The cardinal status is in itself the rarest of movements. The only previous case occurred in 1927, when Pope Pius XI accepted the resignation of French Cardinal Lois Billot, who had himself renounced his status for political reasons.

In March 2015, Pope Francis officially accepted the resignation of Keith O'Brien, but allowed him to retain the title of cardinal after the former bishop of Edinburgh and former head of the Roman Catholic Church of Scotland resigned two years after allegations of inappropriate badual behavior towards priests in the 1980s.

and may attend conclaves to elect new pundits if they have under 80 years old.

Other cardinals trapped in the scandal include Australia's highest Catholic, George Pell, number three of the Vatican. Pell faces prosecution in Australia for historical child bad offenses. He pleaded not guilty to the charges

The Archbishop of Santiago, Cardinal Ricardo Ezzati, was summoned by the Regional Prosecutor's Office of Rancagua, in central Chile, to respond, on August 21, to cover charges badual abuse. by Chilean priests, of which 14 were defrocked in May

(Except for the title, this story was not published by the NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed .)