Saturday Pope Francis accepted the resignation of Cardinal Theodore McCarrick from the College of Cardinals, and suspended him from the exercise of any public ministry.
Pope Francis accepted Cardinal McCarrick’s resignation from the cardinalate July 28 and applied a suspension a divinis, which according to canon 1333 in the Code of Canon Law, prohibits him from acts of the power of order and governance and from the exercise of the rights or functions attached to his office.
The pope also directed Cardinal McCarrick to observe “a life of prayer and penance in seclusion” until the end of the canonical process against him, stated a July 28 press release from the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops.
According to a statement from the Vatican, McCarrick submitted his letter of resignation to Pope Francis Friday evening.
Only a pope can approve the resignation of a cardinal from his official status, and it is a measure which, historically, the Church has used very rarely – though this is the second time Pope Francis will have employed similar measures.
The first was in March 2015 when the pope accepted the resignation of now-deceased Cardinal Keith O’Brien.
Cardinal O’Brien lived in similar conditions to those now imposed on McCarrick, until his death in March of this year; though while he resigned the “rights and privileges” of a cardinal, he was allowed to keep the title.
O’Brien stepped down as archbishop of St. Andrews and Edinburgh in Scotland following the February 2014 revelation of allegations that he had participated in inappropriate sexual behavior with other men in the 1980s.
On June 20, the Archdiocese of New York announced that it had concluded an investigation into an allegation that McCarrick had sexually abused a teenager, finding the claim to be “credible and substantiated.”
Since that announcement, media reports have detailed additional allegations, charging that McCarrick 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.
Full story at Catholic News Agency.
Well, that’s one down…
One down, but only the beginning. Take a look at a small piece of the network of the ones who betray the faithful and who have the audacity to solicit contributions:
https://www.churchmilitant.com/news/article/nj-bishop-protects-predator-priests-retires-in-luxury
Not one more penny until credibility is restored!
Yes, one down, but appeals for contributions are going out for help in funding the deficits caused by lehal settlements in other dioceses:
https://www.churchmilitant.com/news/article/fleecing-the-faithful
Let us “PREY.”
Wow. I’m impressed. Yep, that makes up for everything now. Case closed, people. Nothing more to see here, move along. The show’s over. Scandal’s over. Everything’s fine. Justice has been rendered. All is right in the church and in the clergy. Whew, that was a close one. Thank God McCarrick resigned. if he hadn’t done that who knows what bad stuff might have happened? Problem solved. We can all resume our lives like none of this ever happened and be confident that it’s not still happening and never will again.
Let us pray, fast and work for the end of the influence of the diabolical lavender mafia within the Church.
Lord, have mercy on us all!
(While I usually post with my name, since I am a clergyman, I’m posting this anonymously. The homosexualists in the Church are still powerful and continue to repeatedly make false allegations against those they oppose.) .
What a sad state of affairs because of men like this. According to the Devil, perversion at its finest. Same sex attraction has yet taken another soul and he now needs to repair his soul.
Well, that’s a step. But it’s not nearly enough.
My understanding is that even though his resignation from the College of Cardinals was accepted, he is still allowed to use the title and the hat. Does anyone know for sure? I’ve said it now three times on CCD, and I say it again, if he is allowed to die under his red hat, it proves that the Church is not serious about these things. Take away the hat and the title. Now!
YFC … Fr. Jim Martin’s blog reports that, yes, he’s been stiped of everythig which went with his office, pendig canonical trial. I can’t imagine they won’t make it permanent.
I agree with YFC. There are a lot of other homosexuals that need to be removed from the priesthood. The altar boys and seminarians will not be safe until all of the homosexual priests are removed. Lock them up.
Since the Pope applied a suspension, it seems that this was not a voluntary resignation but was forced as part of a penalty.
This was a good decision by the Vatican. However, they need to do the same thing for a few more bishops before other bishops will take this seriously.
https://www.lifesitenews.com/news/pope-francis-accepts-mccarricks-resignation-from-college-of-cardinals
Pray for this man. His sins are black and he needs repentance and forgiveness. Pray that he accepts his censure (and that it is fully given by the Vatican), and applies himself to a life of penance. There is only a little time left for him as it is, and people, many, many people, go to Hell. Our Blessed Mother said, at Fatima, that most of these are in Hell due to sins of the flesh.
Thank you, St. Christopher.
I too wonder if this was the Church equivalent of the business world ‘resign or be fired.’
No one can truthfully say that this was an aberration. The “open secret” continues:
https://www.churchmilitant.com/news/article/complete-coveragenew-york-gay-priest-embezzlement-scandal
Continues…2 years ago?
So what—2 years ago or 2,000 years ago. The problem exists and remains unaddressed.
Your Fellow Catholic, the use of the title and the hat went out with his resignation from the college of Cardinals. Take a look at the Holy See website and his name is NOWHERE to be seen..
https://press.vatican.va/content/salastampa/it/documentation/card_bio_typed/card_bio_non.html#M
Time now to demand and undertake cannonical (if not also civil / criminal) actions against the othets who were complicit:
https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/texas-bishop-hold-mccarrick-and-his-enablers-accountable-73681
Santissimo Pater,
Quo usque tandem abutere patientia nostra tecum?
Translation follows:
“Most Holy Father,
How long will you abuse our patience with you”
Sol— nice use of paraphrase in your quote from Cicero’s “Pro Archia” oration.
“Quam diu etiam furor iste tuus nos eludet? Quem ad finem sese effrenata iactabit audacia?…O tempora! O mores!” Marcus Cicero.
Historically, I think the Vatican has primarily looked for aptitude at managerial competence and pastoral ability in naming bishops. Instead, I think they really need to place the priest’s spiritual integrity above these other concerns.
If a bishop fails managerially, he can always be replaced with minimal damage. But wolf bishops cause extensive damage that radiates out from their diocese.
Something that warms my heart is that everyone (orthodox, heterodox, conservative, and liberal) is in strong agreement that this situation is intolerable and must be corrected.
“Steve Seitz,” you are so often correct and wonderful, even, in your observations. However, it is unclear what you mean re: “corrected?” There really is no correction, except the wholesale dismissal of a wide swath of priests, bishops and cardinals. Secondly, those who profess to be practicing Catholics must realize that this mendacious cowards have sought to create a “NewChurch” to be run by men who did not want a masculine ritual, did not want recognition of sin, did not want anything that harkened back to a “Medieval” Church. Leave poor Uncle Ted alone (pray for him). The problem lies with the Vatican and the homo-lobby that controls things. We need to take back the practice of our Faith and show the Lord the proper worship…
St. Christopher,
As you know, there’s usually much disagreement on this website. But on this issue, I was impressed that everyone was saying the same thing (e.g. the Church needs to take care of this problem — period.) My use of the term “corrected” was entirely open-ended and doesn’t preclude any solution: including yours.
As for what the proper solution is, I’d have to give that some more thought before offering an opinion.
No, the bishops are not in agreement because their club of covering for each other with silence is still in place.
Drat! I should have been more specific. I meant to say everyone in this website community is in agreement.
okay then
I think, worldwide– trust in the Catholic Church has been forever broken, for a great many shocked, hurting people! And what more bad news do we have to anticipate hearing, in the future?? Many people are badly shaken!
The Catholic Church will always remain worthy of trust. After all, it was founded by Jesus Himself (Matt:16). However, those in leadership positions who turn a blind-eye to these abominations are not trustworthy, and will continually lose credibility.
The sad thing is that the actions (and inactions) of the leadership is vicariously applied to the Church, which is viewed as the Bride of Jesus Christ.
Is this an appropriate time to mention millstones?
Not only appropriate but necessary
Cardinal McCarrick’s downfall makes me think over and over again of the plight of a former seminarian, Mark Brooks. Brooks was sexually abused by a priest at St. Francis seminary in the 1980’s, but the worst abuse was suffered by the bishops who manipulated, conned and harassed him when he tried to blow the whistle on their whole disgusting enterprise. Mark was diagnosed with a very treatable cancer and he chose to refuse treatment. When I asked him why, he broke into tears and said, “I want to see Jesus! I’ve had enough of this place!” The bishops who made him this way know who they are and this “tip of the iceberg” moment with McCarrick should give them pause. How many Catholics have left the Church or lost their faith…
Lock them up! Petition the attorney general. This is a serious national problem. Our religious leaders will not fix the problem. Only mass arrests will. Lock them up!
The Ruin of so many lives and Shame brought down on all Catholics could have easily been avoided – had the Church but followed its own teachings on the utter incompatibility of homosex perversions and the Priesthood
The ‘Lavender Mafia’ of mostly Ephebophile Boy Rapists seems so incongruous – that it could only exist within a widespread network of coverups, including the cocaine fueled homosex orgies staged in Vatican apartments
It Must End – and the Church Knows how to do so – by following its own teachings
There are still faithful priests:
https://www.lifesitenews.com/news/priest-mccarricks-treason-is-damnable-abomination-but-bishops-silence-is-ev
Too bad for the faithful that priests like this ate often brushed aside by the Holy See when it is necessary to appoint new members to the episcopacy.
Here is a discussion about the “lavendar mafia” and the influence it has:
https://www.lifesitenews.com/blogs/cardinal-mccarrick-and-the-gay-mafia-corruption-of-clergy-now-rivals-the-ag
Further desecration that goes unanswered:
https://www.lifesitenews.com/news/abomination-priest-poses-with-drag-queens-in-sanctuary-of-catholic-church