(RNS) — Defrocked Cardinal Theodore McCarrick, the highest-ranking U.S. Catholic prelate to face criminal charges for the sexual abuse of a minor, died Thursday (April 3), according to Vatican media.
In a statement, the current Archbishop of Washington, Cardinal Robert McElroy, told RNS, “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.”
McCarrick, a greatly influential figure in the U.S. Catholic Church with a reputation as a fundraiser, also led the Diocese of Metuchen and the Archdiocese of Newark in New Jersey before becoming Archbishop of Washington in 2001, later being named cardinal by Pope John Paul II.
He was stripped of his cardinal rights and resigned from the College of Cardinals in 2018. He spent his last years in the Vianney Renewal Center in Missouri.
In 2002, McCarrick was among the U.S. prelates who drafted the “Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People.” He continued to hold an influential role in the church until 2016.
FILE – In this Monday, April 18, 2005 file photo, U.S. Cardinal Theodore Edgar McCarrick attends a Mass in St. Peter’s Basilica at the Vatican. (AP Photo/Pier Paolo Cito)
Reports of McCarrick sharing his bed with seminarians and other inappropriate behavior first emerged in 1994, but in 2018, reports from former seminarians and at least two minors in New Jersey detailed accusations that he had engaged in sexual misconduct. The New York Times reported that McCarrick had sexually abused an 11-year-old boy whom he had baptized, James Grein, in 1969. The abuse continued for 20 years.
The criminal case against McCarrick had been suspended since January 2024, after he was found incompetent to stand trial because of his dementia, but he was laicized in 2019 after a canonical trial found him 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.”
Cardinal Joseph Tobin, who now heads the Newark archdiocese, called McCarrick “a private individual with no affiliation with the Archdiocese of Newark for many years,” before saying, “I am keenly aware of the trauma this news may reignite for those victimized by Mr. McCarrick.” Recognizing “the deep pain and betrayal” of survivors, Tobin wrote, “I continue to offer my prayers in support as they navigate their journey toward healing.”
The Newark cardinal said, “As a Church, we remain steadfast in our commitment to listening to survivors, supporting their healing, and ensuring that such betrayals are never repeated.”
McCarrick’s case became a catalyst for the cause against the systemic culture of abuse in the church and was at the heart of the accusations of coverup and lack of accountability by the former papal nuncio to the U.S., Archbishop Carlo Maria Viganò.
Viganò wrote an open letter in 2018 accusing Pope Francis of removing sanctions on McCarrick placed by his predecessor Pope Benedict XVI between 2009 and 2010. A Vatican report published in November 2020 found that Pope John Paul II tapped McCarrick to head the diocese of Washington despite credible accusations against him, and Benedict XVI later asked the cardinal to discreetly retire from the public eye. The report also stated that Viganò failed to investigate the allegations at the time.
FILE – In this April 24, 2002 file photo, Washington Cardinal Theodore Edgar McCarrick, right, speaks at a news conference at the Vatican concluding a two-day meeting between Pope John Paul II and U.S. cardinals at the Vatican. (AP Photo/Santiago Lyon, File)
Terence McKiernan, president of watchdog group BishopAccountability.org, told RNS that, with McCarrick’s death, “ his many, many victims breathe a sigh of relief,” especially because “ even an elderly abuser is still a danger.”
McKiernan said, “ It is good that we now acknowledge the damage that he did, but there were so many missed opportunities to do that earlier,” pointing out that a 2020 Vatican report on McCarrick’s case “ substantially ignored the many children that (McCarrick) had abused.”
He added, “All of these missed opportunities are indications that the system still isn’t equipped or willing to deal with this kind of abuse. I think the story of McCarrick in a way is the story of continued resistance to the realities of the situation.”
The Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests echoed McKiernan’s sentiments. “McCarrick was never held accountable for his crimes,” the organization wrote in a statement, and instead “was promoted, celebrated, and shielded by legions of bishops, cardinals, and even popes. Many of those same officials remain in positions of power today, unaccountable and unrepentant.”
Last month, SNAP announced an advocacy effort called Conclave Watch to raise awareness around the abuse records of several cardinals and to demand a universal, zero-tolerance law.
Former Cardinal Theodore McCarrick, left, arrives at Dedham District Court, Friday, Sept. 3, 2021, in Dedham, Mass. (AP Photo/Michael Dwyer)
“There is no reason to believe the next conclave won’t include more McCarricks — influencing, protecting, and electing one of their own, just like he did at the last conclave,” said Peter Isely, chair of the SNAP global advocacy working group. “That’s why the public must know who these candidates are.”
The shadow of McCarrick’s abuse has continued to hang over both the Washington and Newark archdioceses, as Cardinals McElroy and Tobin have faced accusations that they mishandled matters relating to McCarrick.
Tobin has recently faced blowback for promoting Monsignor Joseph Reilly as president of Seton Hall University. Reilly, who once served as a priest-secretary to McCarrick, has been accused of mishandling abuse allegations. In February, Tobin announced a third-party review of the 2019 investigation that implicated Reilly.
McElroy has been accused of ignoring warnings from whistleblower and researcher Richard Sipe about McCarrick’s abuse in 2016. The cardinal has said he took Sipe’s warnings seriously but that Sipe behaved in an untrustworthy manner when approaching him with the accusations, refusing to provide corroborating evidence and delivering a letter through a process server who impersonated a donor.
This story has been updated and corrected to better reflect McCarrick’s resignation from the College of Cardinals.
