Controversial and Defrocked Cardinal Dead at 94

Cardinal Theodore McCarrick, whose legacy as cardinal was haunted by abusing minors and seminarians, died on Thursday evening.

“Today I learned of the death of Theodore McCarrick, former Archbishop of Washington. At this moment I am especially mindful of those who he harmed during the course of his priestly ministry,” McElroy of Washington said in a statement.

“Through their enduring pain, may we remain steadfast in our prayers for them and for all victims of sexual abuse.” The cardinal pleaded.

McCarrick served as archbishop of the Archdiocese of Newark from 1986 to 2000 and was made cardinal while serving the Archdiocese of Washington, DC.

Despite rising through the ranks of the Catholic Church, controversy followed him as he was known for sleeping with seminarians dating back to 1999. He was accused of assaulting a boy during a wedding in 1974.

By 2019, McCarrick was defrocked. In the years to follow, he would decline with dementia as a judge in Massachusetts dismissed his trial in 2023 due to cognitive decline.

As the Catholic Church mourns the loss of Cardinal McCarrick, all are asked to pray for his soul and the victims of sexual abuse under his faulty leadership. We can't play judge and jury, yet we can only hope that he repented in his final moments on earth. 

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