Friday, August 10, 2018

U.S. Cardinal Theodore McCarrick Resigns Amid His Sex Abuse Scandal



Cardinal Theodore McCarrick with Pope John Paul II at the Vatican in 2003
Photo courtesy: papam.wordpress.com/

In face of several sexual abuse allegations, U.S. Cardinal Theodore McCarrick submitted his resignation from the College of Cardinals, and Pope Francis accepted his resignation on July 28 and stripped him from any public ministry, according to the Catholic News Agency (CNA). 

Pope Francis also placed Cardinal McCarrick to "a life of prayer and penance in seclusion" until the end of the Vatican canonical process (investigation) against him.

Allegations made against this Cardinal are: as a bishop, McCarrick "sexually abused, assaulted, or coerced seminarians and young priests" for a number of years. The U.S. Diocese of Metuchen and Archdiocese of Newark disclosed that they had received reports that McCarrick had engaged in sexual misconduct with adults, and reached legal and financial settlements in two cases.

For details, kindly click on the following:


Some Other Cardinals In The Same Boat of Sex Abuse:

 Cardinal Hans Herman Groer of Austria:
Pope John Paul II with Cardinal Hans Herman Groer of Vienna, Austria (right)
Photo courtesy: kkpp.blox.pl/


Cardinal Keith O'Brien of Scotland, U.K.:

Cardinal Keith O'Brien of Scotland, U.K. with Pope Benedict XVI at the Vatican

Photo courtesy: www.catholic-ew.org.uk/



Cardinal George Pell of Australia:
Cardinal George Pell of Australia, with Pope Benedict XVI

Photo courtesy: GettyImages through businessinsider.com/



Certain Other Cardinals Who Participated in Others' Sins (by ignoring clergy sex-abuse victims and by shielding clergy sex-abusers):

Catholic Church has a clear-cut teaching on participation in the sins of others. This teaching is applicable to all the Catholics -- laymen, laywomen, members of the Religious orders, and members of the hierarchy (priests, monsignors, bishops, archbishops, cardinals, and popes). 

 According to the Church teaching, a Catholic participates in the sins of others in the following ways: 9 Ways You Might Be Sharing in the Sins of Others (June 13, 2017). If other persons' sins are mortal or deadly sins, by participating in them, the Cardinals also committed mortal sins. For committing mortal sins, serial mortal sins, or unconfessed mortal sins, laypersons easily get their holy communions banned, but, who, on earth, then will ban holy communion of these Cardinals? How can they touch or receive the holy communion in their daily Holy Masses with their mortally tainted hands and hearts? How can they hear others' confessions? How can they perform different sacramental acts without any concern for their own mortal sins? What is the guarantee that members of the hierarchy confess their mortal sins regularly and promise not to commit these sins in future -- a requirement for receiving God's pardon for one's mortal sins? But, the Catholic Church teaches that in spite of unconfessed or unrepented mortal sins in their hearts, members of the hierarchy can still receive holy communion by themselves and perform sacramental rites with impunity. In case of judging, condemning, and punishing, there is an abysmal discrepancy between the laypersons and members of the hierarchy, although all of them are members of the same Catholic Church. This hypocrisy is really disturbing for the Catholic laypersons.  

 It needs to be remembered that, according to the Bible, God created Adam and Eve (a layman and a laywoman) first, the priestly class evolved or came much later from among their descendants to serve other laypersons (who were also descendants of  Adam and Eve) religiously and spiritually. The priestly class, in the Catholic Church, is called the hierarchy, whose members are there to serve the laity. Pope Francis is trying to show how to be of servant leadership and not of autocratic or dictatorial leadership when dealing with the laity. 

 The following Cardinals, we are sorry to say, got most publicity for their participation in the sins of their fellow priests and bishops:

 Cardinal Josef Ratzinger (who later became Pope Benedict XVI) (Vatican):

Cardinal George Bernard Law of Boston, USA:

Cardinal Ricardo Ezzati of Santiago, Chile (successor to Cardinal Francisco Javier Errazuriz):

Cardinal Francisco Javier Errazuriz of Santiago, Chile (predecessor of Cardinal Ricardo Ezzati): 



Cardinal Dario Castrillon Hoyos (at the Vatican):


Cardinal Angelo Raffaele Sodano (Vatican Secretary of State and Dean of the College of Cardinals): 

Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone (Vatican Secretary of State -- after Cardinal Angelo Raffaele Sodano):


 Cardinal Donald Wuerl (Washington Diocese, USA):



 Some Other Notorious Cardinals of the Past:
(Updated on August 14, 2018)
(Updated on August 15, 2018)
(Updated on August 17, 2018)
(Updated on August 21, 2018)


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Posted by Jerome D'Costa at 11:56 PM
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