Page 8 - aruba-today-20180721

A8 WORLD NEWS
Saturday 21 July 2018
Revelations of US cardinal sex abuse will force pope's hand

By NICOLE WINFIELD a spokeswoman said Mc-
Associated Press Carrick hadn't received
VATICAN CITY (AP) — Rev- formal notice of any new
elations that one of the allegation but would follow
most respected U.S. car- the civil and church pro-
dinals allegedly sexually cesses in place to investi-
abused both boys and gate them.
adult seminarians have Even now, Francis could
raised questions about who take immediate action to
in the Catholic Church hi- remove McCarrick from
erarchy knew — and what the College of Cardinals,
Pope Francis is going to do said Kurt Martens, a canon
about it. lawyer at the Catholic Uni-
If the accusations against versity of America.
Cardinal Theodore McCar- He recalled the case of the
rick bear out — including a late Scottish Cardinal Keith
new case reported Friday O'Brien, who recused him-
involving an 11-year-old self from the 2013 conclave
boy — will Francis revoke that elected Francis pope
his title as cardinal? Sanc- after unidentified priests
tion him to a lifetime of pen- alleged in newspapers
ance and prayer? Or even that he engaged in sexual
defrock him, the expected misconduct. In 2015, after
sanction if McCarrick were a Vatican investigation,
a mere priest? Francis accepted O'Brien's
And will Francis, who has resignation after he relin-
already denounced a "cul- quished the rights and privi-
ture of cover-up" in the leges of being a cardinal.
church, take the investi- O'Brien was, however, al-
gation all the way to the lowed to retain the car-
top, where it will inevitably dinal's title and he died a
lead? McCarrick's alleged member of the college.
sexual misdeeds with adults "I think that is totally unsatis-
were reportedly brought factory," Martens said, not-
to the Vatican's attention ing that just as the pope
years ago. can grant the title of car-
The matter is now on the dinal, he can also take it
desk of the pope, who has In this Sept. 23, 2015 file photo, Pope Francis reaches out to hug Cardinal Archbishop emeritus away. "O'Brien resigned,
already spent the better Theodore McCarrick after the Midday Prayer of the Divine in Washington. the pope accepted it. Isn't
part of 2018 dealing with Associated Press that the world upside down
a spiraling child sex abuse, that someone picks his own
adult gay sex and cover- bed. by the Vatican for seminar- vealed that they had re- penalty?"
up scandal in Chile that While such an abuse of ies at large, Francis in refer- ceived three complaints of O'Brien was never accused
was so vast the entire bish- power may have been qui- ence to both the Chilean misconduct by McCarrick of sexually abusing a mi-
ops' conference offered to etly tolerated for decades, and Italian churches. against adults and had set- nor, however, as McCarrick
resign in May. it doesn't fly in the #MeToo Berg said the church also tled two of them. now stands.
And on Friday, Francis ac- era. needs to take action when Another alleged victim, the The stiffest punishment that
cepted the resignation of And there has been a celibacy vows are violated. son of a McCarrick family an ordinary priest would
the Honduran deputy to deafening silence from "We can't effectively pre- friend identified as James, face if such an accusation
Cardinal Oscar Rodriguez McCarrick's brother cardi- vent the sexual abuse of came forward in a report is proven would be dismiss-
Maradiaga, who is one nals about what they might minors or vulnerable adults in The New York Times and al from the clerical state, or
of Francis' top advisers. have known and when. by clergy while habitual subsequently in an inter- laicization.
Auxiliary Bishop Juan José "There is going to be so and widespread failures in view with The Associated The Vatican rarely if ever,
Pineda Fasquelle, 57, was much clamor for the Holy celibacy are quietly toler- Press. James said he was however, imposes such a
accused of sexual miscon- Father to remove the red ated," he said. 11 when McCarrick first ex- penalty on elderly prelates.
duct with seminarians and hat, to formally un-cardi- McCarrick, the 88-year-old posed himself to him. From It also is loath to do so for
lavish spending on his lovers nalize him," said the Rev. retired archbishop of Wash- there, McCarrick began a bishops, because theologi-
that was so obvious to Hon- Thomas Berg, vice rector ington and confidante to sexually abusive relation- cally speaking, defrocked
duras' poverty-wracked and director of admissions three popes, was ultimate- ship that continued for an- bishops can still validly or-
faithful that Maradiaga is at St. Joseph's Seminary in ly undone when the U.S. other two decades, James dain priests and bishops.
now under pressure to re- Yonkers, the seminary of church announced June told AP. Not even the serial rapist
veal what he knew of Pine- the archdiocese of New 20 that Francis had ordered "I was the first guy he bap- Rev. Marcial Maciel was
da's misdeeds and why he York. him removed from public tized," James told AP. "I was defrocked after the Vati-
tolerated a sexually active Recounting how the Mc- ministry. The sanction was his little boy. I was his spe- can finally convicted him
gay bishop in his ranks. Carrick scandal has de- issued pending a full inves- cial kid." of abusing Legion of Christ
The McCarrick scandal moralized seminarians and tigation into a "credible" McCarrick has denied the seminarians. Maciel was
poses the same questions. priests alike, Berg said the allegation that he fondled initial allegation of abuse sentenced to a lifetime of
It was apparently an open church needs to ensure a teenager more than 40 against a minor and ac- penance and prayer — the
secret in some U.S. church that men with deep-seated years ago in New York City. cepted the pope's decision likely canonical sanction
circles that "Uncle Ted" in- same-sex attraction simply The dioceses of Newark to remove him from public for McCarrick if he is found
vited seminarians to his don't enter seminaries — a and Metuchen, New Jer- ministry. guilty of abusing a minor in
beach house, and into his position recently reinforced sey, simultaneously re- Asked Friday about James, a church trial.q