POPE SUSPENDS ARCHBISHOP THEODORE MCCARRICK, ORDERS HIM TO OBSERVE PENANCE IN SECLUSION

ROME, Italy – Pope Francis has ordered Archbishops Theodore McCarrick to observe a life of prayer and penance in seclusion until the end of the canonical process against him.

Penance “is a penitential discipline imposed by church authority, a sacrament, as in the Roman Catholic Church, consisting of a confession of sin, made with sorrow and with the intention of amendment, followed by the forgiveness of the sin.

The Pope made the order following the acceptance of the resignation of Archbishops Theodore McCarrick from the College of Cardinals following accusation that he sexually molested James. The Pope also suspended McCarrick from the exercise of any public ministry.o

In his response to resignation of the Bishop, Cardinal Daniel DiNardo of Galveston-Houston, president of the U.S. bishops’ conference thanked the Holy Father for his leadership in taking this important step.

“It reflects the priority the Holy Father places on the need for protection and care for all our people and the way failures in this area affect the life of the Church in the United States,” he said.

Arcbishop Theodore McCarrick was alleged to have sexually abused, assaulted, or coerced seminarians and young priests during his time as a bishop. The Diocese of Metuchen and Archdiocese of Newark disclosed that they had received reports that McCarrick engaged in sexual misconduct with adults, and reached legal and financial settlements in two cases.

In a report published by the New York Times, McCarrick was reported to have in July 19 began sexually abusing John in 1969, when the priest was 39. James was 11 years old when the incident happened. John also claimed that the abuse led him into alcohol and drug abuse for years and that those he told about the incident did not believe him then.