Newark (NJ)
The Figueriredo Report
May 28, 2019
By Monsignor Anthony Figueiredo
The former Cardinal Theodore E. McCarrick ordained me to the priesthood 25 years ago today.
I served as his personal secretary in the Archdiocese of Newark (September 1994 – June 1995)
and also assisted him in a secretarial capacity during his many visits to Rome in my 19 years of
ministry there.
After long consideration, I have made the decision to place in the public domain some of the
correspondence and other information related to McCarrick that I possess in my many years of
service to him. I have spent time in prayer and discernment about the moral basis for revealing
these. My decision follows attempts since September 2018 to share and discuss these with the Holy See and other Church leaders.
Realizing full well that the debate about McCarrick has become highly politicized, I wish only to
present facts that will help the Church to know the truth. From the outset of this report, I pledge
my unswerving affection, loyalty and support for Pope Francis and his Magisterium in his tireless
ministry as the Successor of Peter, as I manifested also to Pope Benedict XVI, grateful for their
paternal solicitude and efforts to address the scourge of abuse. Indeed, my actions in releasing this report at this time are encouraged by the Holy Father’s motu proprio “Vos Estis Lux Mundi” (“You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden.” Mt 5:14), based on the overriding principle that it is imperative to place in the public domain, at the right time and prudently, information that has yet to come to light and impacts directly on allegations of criminal activity, the restrictions imposed on my now laicized former Archbishop, and who knew what and when.
It is my firm hope that this information will help the Church as she further endeavors to create a
culture of transparency. This report, which may form the first of others, is a contribution to the
wish of Pope Francis and the Holy See “to follow the path of truth wherever it may lead” in terms
of the ongoing McCarrick investigation (Pope Francis, Philadelphia, USA, September 27, 2015;
Press Statement of the Holy See, October 6, 2018).
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