Defrocked Cardinal Theodore McCarrick faces new sexual assault charges
Jeremiah Poff
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A former cardinal of the Catholic Church who was defrocked by Pope Francis in 2019 amid allegations of sexual abuse is facing criminal sexual assault charges in Wisconsin in connection to a 1977 incident.
Theodore McCarrick, 92, was charged by the Wisconsin Department of Justice on Monday on a single count of fourth-degree sexual assault. The allegation involves an unnamed victim while staying as a guest at a home in Geneva Lake, Wisconsin, in April 1977.
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“Thank you to the brave survivors who have made reports through the clergy and faith leader abuse initiative,” Wisconsin Attorney General Josh Kaul said. “I encourage other survivors who have not yet reported to consider speaking to the victim services specialist at DOJ who is dedicated to this initiative and to make a report.”
McCarrick, who once served as the archbishop of Washington, D.C., was once a member of the College of Cardinals and participated in the papal elections of Benedict XVI and Pope Francis. In 2018, the pope accepted McCarrick’s resignation from the College of Cardinals after numerous allegations of sexual abuse and misconduct committed by the senior churchman against minors and seminarians surfaced.
McCarrick was stripped of his status as a priest in 2019, a process known as laicization, after the Vatican deemed the allegations of sexual abuse to be credible. In September 2021, he pleaded not guilty to criminal sexual abuse charges in Boston. Those charges are still pending, as is a February motion to dismiss the case on the grounds that the 92-year-old McCarrick is not competent to stand trial due to dementia.
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In a statement, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests said it was not surprised by the latest charges in Wisconsin, noting that “serial abusers often have multiple victims.”
“In our view, the longer an abusive cleric has a career in the church, the more likely there are more victims,” SNAP said in a statement Monday. “This criminal charge does not surprise us, in fact, it shows that when the names of abusers are made public, regardless of rank, it often encourages others who were hurt to come forward and make a report. We applaud all of the brave individuals for speaking out against McCarrick and hope that their example inspires others who were hurt to come forward and make a report to the police.”