WASHINGTON (DC)
NBC 4 TV
Dec. 3, 2019
By Jodie Fleischer
A new accuser has come forward alleging sexual abuse by former Cardinal Theodore McCarrick, who once led the Catholic Church here in Washington and beyond.
The New Jersey man spoke out for the first time Monday as the state opened a window giving sex abuse victims of any age the right to sue, regardless of the statute of limitations.
John Bellocchio, now 37, said the abuse happened around 1995 in Hackensack, New Jersey, when he was just 14 years old. McCarrick was the archbishop of Newark at the time and visiting the local parish.
Bellocchio’s lawsuit against McCarrick and the Archdiocese of Newark alleges the latter “knew or should have known that McCarrick was a danger to children before McCarrick sexually assaulted Plaintiff.”
“I want there to be real, effective change from the top down,” Bellocchio said.
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