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Former Cardinal Theodore McCarrick indicted for alleged sexual abuse

2021-07-30T12:54:52.165Z


Former Cardinal Theodore McCarrick, who was expelled from the Vatican in 2019 on allegations of sexual abuse, now faces criminal charges in Massachusetts for alleged sexual abuse of a minor nearly 50 years ago, according to a court record.


The Vatican toughens laws against sexual abuse 1:57

(CNN) -

Former Cardinal Theodore McCarrick, who was expelled from the Vatican in 2019 on allegations of sexual abuse, is now facing criminal charges in Massachusetts for alleged sexual abuse of a minor nearly 50 years ago, according to a court record.

According to a criminal complaint filed Wednesday, McCarrick is charged with three counts of indecent battery and assault on a person over the age of 14.

The complaint was filed by Wellesley Police in Dedham District Court.

The Boston Globe

was the first to report the charges.

The documents state that the anonymous victim told investigators via Zoom in January that McCarrick had been friends with a family member and described multiple incidents of alleged abuse by McCarrick, most of which took place outside of Massachusetts in New Jersey, New York and California. An incident took place in Wellesley, Massachusetts, in June 1974 at the wedding of the victim's brother, where the victim said McCarrick allegedly took him aside and said, "Your dad wants you to come with me and talk. You're being naughty at home and you haven't been to church. We need to go outside and have a conversation, "according to the complaint.

The victim told investigators McCarrick told the victim to pull down his pants and then held and "kissed" her genitals "saying prayers to make me feel holy," according to the complaint.

After telling him to pull up his pants, McCarrick allegedly told the boy to say certain prayers "so that God can redeem you from your sins."

The complaint states that the victim told investigators that McCarrick repeatedly sexually abused him over the years, including as an adult, and abuses allegedly also took place in nearby Newton, Massachusetts when he was older.

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The criminal charges make McCarrick the highest-ranking Catholic official in the United States facing criminal charges for sexual abuse of a minor, according to the anonymous victim's attorney, Mitchell Garabedian.

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"Historically, this is the first time in the United States that a cardinal has been criminally charged with a sexual offense against a minor," Garabedian said in a press release.

"It takes an enormous amount of courage for a victim of sexual abuse to report that they have been sexually abused to investigators and to proceed with the criminal process."

Barry Coburn, McCarrick's attorney, told CNN in a statement: "We are going to address this issue in the courtroom."

McCarrick has maintained his innocence in the past regarding previous allegations.

Elevated to cardinal in 2001 by Pope John Paul II, a year after becoming Archbishop of Washington, McCarrick became a powerful actor in both the Church and Washington, and was known for his fundraising and influence abroad. .

He resigned from the College of Cardinals in 2018 and was expelled from the Vatican in 2019 after a Church trial found him guilty of sexually abusing minors.

McCarrick received a subpoena ordering him to appear in court for an arraignment on Aug. 26, according to the filing.

CNN has reached out to the Wellesley Police Department, the Norfolk County District Attorney's Office and the Vatican for comment.

This is only the third high-ranking member of the Catholic Church in the U.S. to be criminally charged with crimes related to sexual abuse, said Marci Hamilton, executive director of Child USA, which has worked with hundreds of victims of sexual abuse. at the hands of priests and members of the clergy.

"When prosecutors bring charges against the powerful in a religious institution like the Catholic Church, they are validating the thousands of victims who have come forward," Hamilton told CNN.

"In the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, the prosecution of these charges against a powerful member of the Church shows that the movement against child sexual abuse is moving forward and I am happy."

In the court file, investigators wrote that the January interview with the victim was conducted in response to a letter sent to the Middlesex District Attorney's Office by Garabedian.

Meghan Kelly, a spokeswoman for the Middlesex district attorney's office, told CNN that "our investigation is ongoing at this time."

Cardinal

Source: cnnespanol

All news articles on 2021-07-30

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