Cardinal McCarrick & His Protectors

The American Conservative ^ | 7/16/18 | Rod Dreher

[marshmallow]

Well, well, well. On the front page of today’s New York Times, Uncle Ted takes a direct hit. This was a long time coming. Headline: “He Preyed On Men Who Wanted To Be Priests. Then He Became A Cardinal.” Excerpts:

But while the church responded quickly to the allegation that Cardinal McCarrick had abused a child, some church officials knew for decades that the cardinal had been accused of sexually harassing and inappropriately touching adults, according to interviews and documents obtained by The New York Times.

Between 1994 and 2008, multiple reports about the cardinal’s transgressions with adult seminary students were made to American bishops, the pope’s representative in Washington and, finally, Pope Benedict XVI. Two New Jersey dioceses secretly paid settlements, in 2005 and 2007, to two men, one of whom was Mr. Ciolek, for allegations against the archbishop. All the while, Cardinal McCarrick played a prominent role publicizing the church’s new zero-tolerance policy against abusing children.

More:

The first documented complaint about Cardinal McCarrick came at the latest by 1994, when the second priest wrote a letter to the new Bishop of Metuchen, Edward T. Hughes, saying that Archbishop McCarrick had inappropriately touched him and other seminarians in the 1980s, according to the documents.

The priest had a disturbing confession, the documents show. He told Bishop Hughes that he was coming forward because he believed the sexual and emotional abuse he endured from Archbishop McCarrick, as well as several other priests, had left him so traumatized that it triggered him to touch two 15-year-old boys inappropriately. The Metuchen diocese sent the priest to therapy, and then transferred him to another diocese. But Archbishop McCarrick’s stature remained intact; he was even given the honor of hosting John Paul II on a visit to Newark in 1995 and leading a......

[irish guard]

I’m really fed up with how the church dealt with everything. McCarrick and hundreds of other priests violated their vows to have sex with other men or women. You’d 5hink the penalties and punishment would be easy to mete out. And for those who preyed on adolescents and children there should be swift justice. Remove them from the clergyand turn them over to the police. Then let God sort out their sins, just like the rest of us sinners. But how the church handled all this is shameful, from Pope Paul VI, to St Pope John II, to Pope Benedict XVI to Pope Francis. It can at times be disheartening.

[Mrs. Don-o]

This is blowing up big ---and that's exactly what it should do.

Somebody --- Dreher, and others --- will have to continue to connect all the dots, and there will be hundreds of them because McCarrick had a very long career.

By "dots" I mean all the seminarians and priests, former seminarians and priests, seminary rectors, admissions officers to various pontifical licentiates, bishops, cardinals, people at the USCCB and the various Vatican curial positions, papal nuncios, and their proteges, anybody who functioned as a "gateway" guy that controlled references and recommendations, appointments and preferments, clerical advancement.

The whole damned network.

Names must be named and heads must roll. If heads don't roll --- God help us. Let justice be done.

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[Yossarian]

I tried to keep McCarrick out of my church. I wrote a letter to my parish priest explaining just why he should be kept from giving talks and sponsoring groups, backed up by links full of evidence.

But no, the catholic church being a monster organization, monstered right along. People lined up to bow down and kiss this cockroach's ring.

Leave. It's the only thing good people can do. Leave. Otherwise you are supporting the monsters. It is a top-down monster organization, which will never do anything other than abuse and treat with contempt any good Christ-loving pewsitters.

[Mrs. Don-o]

I hear what you're saying, but...

Don't leave.

But leave your money at home. Or give it to "Canon 212".

Pray and fast. Some demons cannot be cast out except by fasting.

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[rcofdayton]

I recently read something from St. Augustine who stated that the church is full of sinners and that we should not leave the church because of them, but rather remain. God will sift out the chaff in the end.

[cnsmom]

The party line from the church is” thank you for bringing this to our attention, many of these priests were abused themselves and we are getting them the necessary therapy to help them.