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(CNN) — Theodore McCarrick, the former archbishop of Washington who was accused of sexually abusing minors and adults, has died, according to a statement by his successor, Cardinal Robert McElroy.
“Today I learned of the death of Theodore McCarrick, former Archbishop of Washington. At this moment I am especially mindful of those who he harmed during the course of his priestly ministry,” McElroy of Washington said in a statement.
“Through their enduring pain, may we remain steadfast in our prayers for them and for all victims of sexual abuse.”
McCarrick was 94 years old, according to Vatican News.
McCarrick resigned from the College of Cardinals in 2018 and was dismissed from the priesthood by the Vatican in 2019 after he was found guilty by the church of sexually abusing minors.
Prior to the allegations, McCarrick was renowned as a formidable networker, globetrotter, and expert fundraiser and was close to the centers of power in both the Vatican and Washington. But the scandal sparked a crisis for both the US Church and the Vatican given he had risen through the church ranks despite evidence that senior officials knew about allegations of sexual misconduct.
His case was one of the most high-profile abuse scandals in the US Catholic church as he was the highest-ranking cleric in the country to face criminal charges for abuse. He was also the first prelate in living memory to lose his cardinal position.
McCarrick would be later criminally charged with three counts of indecent assault and battery on a person over 14 – he pleaded not guilty. The filing stated that in one incident, McCarrick assaulted the victim, a teenage boy, at a wedding reception in Massachusetts in 1974. But McCarrick was in 2023 deemed not fit to stand trial due to dementia.
In 2018, Pope Francis commissioned an investigation into the McCarrick case after the allegation involving a minor was made and following a dossier from now excommunicated former papal diplomat, Archbishop Carlo Maria Viganò, calling on Francis to resign over the McCarrick case.
The Vatican report – which ran to 449 pages and was the first detailed internal inquiry by the Vatican into a high-profile abuse case where the findings were published – found that the late Pope John Paul II had appointed McCarrick Archbishop of Washington, DC, and a cardinal despite being made aware of the allegations of misconduct with adults.
The report found that by 2000, the Vatican was aware that McCarrick had been accused of sexual misconduct with a priest and was known for sharing his bed with young adult men and trainee priests.
Francis, who subjected himself to questioning by the inquiry, was found not to have been provided with any documentation regarding allegations against McCarrick. The pope removed McCarrick from the College of Cardinals and ordered a church trial when the allegation concerning a minor was made.
McCarrick was ordained a priest in 1958 and was Archbishop of Newark from 1986 to 2000 before being appointed Archbishop of Washington DC. He was made a cardinal in 2001.
This is a developing story and will be updated.
The-CNN-Wire
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