Theodore McCarrick
DC priest describes a culture of cover-up in wake of McCarrick scandal
By Claire Giangravé — April 22, 2020
(RNS) — ‘The McCarrick case is the perfect illustration where the idea of damaging the image of the hierarchy was regarded as a higher liability than the disclosure of the truth,’ said the Rev. Mark White.
McCarrick report: Questions needing answers
By Thomas Reese — February 4, 2020
(RNS) — The McCarrick report needs to respond to simple questions that may require complex answers: Who knew what, when and where about McCarrick’s activities?
RNS 2019 in Review: A year full of grief, scandals, fire and the perseverance of faith
By Bob Smietana — January 2, 2020
(RNS) — 2019 was a year full of losses, scandals and tragedies, from the deaths of author Rachel Held Evans and pastor Jarrid Wilson to the attacks on houses of worship from New Zealand to California and continued revelations of abuse in religious institutions. And yet faith persists in the midst of a changing religious landscape.
McCarrick gifts for bosses expose flaws of Vatican practice
By Thomas Reese — January 2, 2020
(RNS) — Gifts that Theodore McCarrick made to Vatican officials raise questions about whether the donations were buying access or protection.
They made a mark on the religious scene this decade; some rose, others fell
By Yonat Shimron — January 2, 2020
(RNS) — This list of 12 — drawn from stories RNS has covered between 2010 and 2019 — offers a one-time retrospective of the personalities (and not a few of the issues) that dominated the religious scene this past decade.
Pope on critics: It’s ‘an honor if the Americans attack me’
By Nicole Winfield — September 5, 2019
ABOARD THE PAPAL PLANE (AP) — Pope Francis acknowledged his growing opposition within the conservative right-wing of the U.S. Catholic Church in off-hand remarks aboard the papal plane Wednesday.
Ex-cardinal’s letters to victims show signs of grooming
By Nicole Winfield — August 6, 2019
VATICAN CITY (AP) — Full of flattery, familiarity and boasts about his own power, the letters provide visceral evidence of how a globe-trotting bishop made young, vulnerable men feel special — and then allegedly took advantage of them.
Catholic bishops open meeting to criticism, discussion of Reddit
By Jack Jenkins — June 11, 2019
BALTIMORE (RNS) — At one point, a bishop asked for clarification on how to spell 'Reddit.'
Newly released letters shine light on McCarrick allegations
By Jack Jenkins — May 28, 2019
(RNS) — McCarrick allegedly acknowledged in one letter that he shared his bed with seminarians, an act he called 'an unfortunate lack of judgment.'
Abolishing the priesthood will not save the Catholic Church
By Thomas Reese — May 21, 2019
(RNS) — In The Atlantic, James Carroll asserts that abolishing the priesthood in the Catholic Church is the only way to defeat the clericalism he blames for the sex abuse crisis. But as in other revolutions, a new cadre would simply replace the old guard.
Taking stock of the clergy sexual abuse crisis: Transparency
By Thomas Reese — April 3, 2019
(RNS) — It's unlikely that Catholic bishops will ever regain credibility until they have adopted full disclosure, made amends and done penance for their and their predecessors’ failures.
The good, the bad and the merciful: Pope Francis after six years
By Thomas Reese — March 12, 2019
(RNS) — Pope Francis' strength is as a pastor who calls people to conversion. He does not think like an administrator, one who establishes policies and structures to ensure things are done properly.
Vatican defrocks former US Cardinal McCarrick over sex abuse
By Nicole Winfield — February 16, 2019
VATICAN CITY (AP) — Pope Francis has defrocked former U.S. Cardinal Theodore McCarrick after Vatican officials found him guilty of soliciting for sex while hearing confession and sexual crimes against minors and adults, the Holy See said Saturday (Feb. 16). McCarrick, 88, is the highest-ranking churchman to be laicized, as the process is called. It […]
Lawyer: McCarrick repeatedly touched youth during confession
By Nicole Winfield — December 29, 2018
VATICAN CITY (AP) — The Vatican's sexual abuse case against ex-Cardinal Theodore McCarrick has expanded significantly after a man testified that the retired American archbishop sexually abused him for years.
2018 in review: A year of reckoning for powerful religious figures
By Bob Smietana — December 28, 2018
(RNS) — A year ago Bill Hybels was the pastor of one of the nation's most influential megachurches, Theodore McCarrick was a prince of the Catholic Church, and Michael Curry was the relatively unknown head of a mainline Protestant denomination.
