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Theodore McCarrick, 1997
Credit: Steve Auchard/NorthJersey.com
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Theodore McCarrick: Lawsuit alleges ex-cardinal ran NJ sex ring | USA
Today
Former Cardinal, now plain Mr Theodore McCarrick, still, pending Cardinal Pell's
defrocking, the most senior Catholic cleric to be defrocked by the Vatican
because of his involvement in child sex abuse, is now facing court action in
Essex County, New Jersey, USA, accused of running a sex ring at his New Jersey
beach home.
He is being sued by one of his victims who alleges in the papers presented to
the court that he was abused by McCarrick and three other priests at his home in
Sea Girt, in the early 1980s. McCarrick has been accused of bringing adult
seminarians to his home and harassing them during overnight stays, as well as
abusing children. It was these allegations that led to McCarrick being stripped
of his title by the Pope.
The unnamed plaintiff alleges that he was abused by two other clerics, including
the former Essex Catholic High School principal, who introduced him to McCarrick
on the pretext that McCarrick would help him pay for his school tuition.
The lawsuit alleges that the abuse began when McCarrick was bishop of the
Metuchen Archdiocese. He later became Archbishop of Newark and later Archbishop
of Washington, when he became a Cardinal and essentially the senior Catholic
cleric in the USA. However, it emerged two years ago that allegations about
McCarrick's predatory sexual behaviour were known to the the Catholic Church
when Newark Archbishop Joseph Tobin admitted that allegations of sexual abuse
against him had been settled secretly many years before.
McCarrick is also facing two other lawsuits in New Jersey alleging that he
sexually abused boys. These lawsuits have been filed under a new law that took
effect last December, suspending the statute of limitations for two years. More
than 100 such lawsuits have been filed under this law against all five of the
state's diocese. Four of the five priests name in the Newark lawsuits have
previously faces allegations of child sexual abuse. They are Gerald Ruane,
Michael Walters and John Laferrera, all accused of abusing boys aged between 14
and 16 at McCarrick's beach home. Gerald Ruane has since died as has the fourth
accused, the former Principal of Essex Catholic High School, Brother Andrew
Thomas Hewitt. The fifth person named is Anthony Nardino, accused of abusing a
boy aged 11 years old and a parishioner at St. Francis Xavier in Newark in 1978.
Nardino has since left the priesthood.
The lawyer acting for the boys alleges that McCarrick began abusing the boy
shortly after they met in 1982. The boy was “taken on overnight and weekend
trips” to the beach house in Sea Girt.
“McCarrick assigned sleeping arrangements, choosing his victims from the boys,
seminarians and clerics present at the beach house,” the suit said. “Minor boys
were assigned to different rooms and paired with adult clerics.”
The lawsuit alleged that the Catholic Church knew of McCarrick's abuses for many
years and that Pope Benedict XVI placed restrictions on McCarrick. And this is
where the affair begins to close in on Pope Francis. The disgruntled and
embittered Archbishop Carlo Maria Viganò has claimed that both Pope Francis and
his predecessor, Pope Benedict XVI, knew of the sexual abuses by McCarrick but
allowed him to continue in his role as the senior American Catholic Catholic
cleric. Viganò has alleged that Pope Benedict XVI, now in seclusion as
self-style Pope Emeritus in the Vatican, the first pope to resign in 600 years
and giving Catholicism the unique experience of having two Popes in the Vatican,
placed McCarrick under restraint and that that restraint was removed by Pope
Francis, even though he too knew of McCarrick's predatory sexual activities.
Pope Francis has remained silent on the Viganò allegations, probably to protect
Pope Benedict XVI, because Benedict is in the double bind position that if he
did not know anything about McCarrick's activities then he should have known and
if he did but did nothing he was culpable. However, if he did know and did do
something, then he is in the clear but Francis is dropped in the mire.
It may be remembered how right-wing conservative Archbishop Carlo Maria Viganò
fell from favour when he effectively ambushed and embarrassed Pope Francis on a
visit to the USA by arranging a meeting with right-wing extremist
fundamentalist, Kim Davies, in which Francis appeared to give support to her
campaign of refusing to register same-sex marriages, despite their legality and
despite a court order instructing her to do so. It appeared that the Pope was
interfering in the legal process of the USA as a guest in the country, giving
him a less than triumphal end to an otherwise successful official visit. The
affair effectively ended Viganò's career and put paid to the hope he had to
become a cardinal and the Papal legate to the USA. As a former Vatican staffer,
Viganò's toadying and naked ambition had already made him several powerful
enemies.
It will be interesting to see whether any more information emerges in court, to
shed light on the truth or otherwise of Viganò's allegations. No doubt, the
Vatican will be taking a close interest in proceedings. One Pope or the other
could well end up with egg on his face as the Pope who did nothing while
McCarrick ran his cosy beach-side paedophile sex ring.
