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Vatican City .- To an extent considered unprecedented, Pope Francis removed his American prelate Theodore McCarrick from his cardinal title after allegations of sexual abuse, including one involving an 11-year-old boy . The Vatican announced Saturday that the pope has ordered McCarrick to lead a "life of prayer and penance" in a house to be designated by the pontiff until the ecclesiastical trial.
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Breaking with previous practices, Francisco decided to act quickly before the resignation offered by the archbishop emeritus of Washington, DC, even before the charges were investigated by the officials of l & # 39; Church. McCarrick was previously one of the most prominent members of the Catholic Church in the United States and participated in the church's long-standing response to accusations of mistreatment by priests.
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Francisco received the letter in which McCarrick resigned from the College of Cardinals on Friday night, after the allegations multiplied the previous weeks. The 88-year-old prelate, during a distinguished church career, had abused children and displayed fraudulent sexual behavior with adult seminarians.
By an announcement, the Holy See said that Francisco had decided to isolate McCarrick and penance before "the charges against him are examined in a regular canonical trial." In addition, Francisco "ordered his suspension from the exercise of public office", ratifying the measure that was in force since last month.
The revelations test the recently declared decision of the pontiff to fight what he calls the "culture of concealment" of abuses in the hierarchy of the Catholic Church.
McCarrick has been suspended from public office since June 20. by investigating the complaint that he molested a teenager 40 years ago in New York. The man, who was then 11 years old, said that the sexually abusive relationship lasted two decades. McCarrick dismissed the original complaint.
Another alleged victim, James, said that when he was 11, he met McCarrick, who sexually assaulted him for more than two decades. McCarrick has not responded publicly to these allegations.
James, who asked to be identified only to protect the privacy of his family, told The Associated Press Saturday that he was expecting the retirement of McCarrick be arranged by the pope. contribute to the "liberation" of the other victims.
"Basically, the truth always prevails," said James, who lives in Virginia. Fortunately, everyone in the world understands the harm that priests have done, and now we can begin healing. "
According to various media reports, McCarrick's sexual misconduct charges against adults were exposed in the Vatican, even before Pope John Paul II appointed him in 2000 to the prestigious post of president. Archbishop of the United States Capital.
Two dioceses in New Jersey, Newark and Metuchen claim to have reached agreements with two plaintiffs – three of McCarrick's allegations of misconduct with adults.
The Vatican He did not disclose where McCarrick would be confined or when the ecclesiastical trial could begin.The Vatican did not mention in his brief statement the serious charges brought against the prelate.
McCarrick climbed rapidly and continuously the echelons of the Church in the United States, from the Auxiliary Bishop of New York to the Bishop of Metuchen, New Jersey, Archbishop of Newark, New Jersey and finally Archbishop of Washington, the capital.
Kurt Martens, a specialist in canon law at the Catholic University, said that it is the first time that an order of penance and prayer is pronounced before the trial.
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