KANSAS CITY (MO)
National Catholic Reporter
November 9, 2020
by Joshua J. McElwee
Who are the prelates who may have made decisions about the former cardinal’s rise?
Rome – The Vatican’s report on the rise of ex-Cardinal Theodore McCarrick, set to be released Nov. 10, will likely contain the names of a vast array of figures — some who were directly involved in the success of his now-disgraced career and others who were ancillary but influential.
To help in preparing for the report’s release, NCR has assembled short biographical sketches of some of the more major figures.
McCarrick, aged 90, was long one of the most influential prelates in the U.S. Catholic Church — before a series of shocking announcements in June 2018 revealed that he had been ordered by the Vatican to step down from active ministry after an allegation of sexual abuse was found “credible and substantiated.”
Pope Francis confirmed McCarrick’s removal from the priesthood, after a guilty finding by the Vatican’s Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, in February 2019.
For this roster, we have focused primarily on the periods surrounding McCarrick’s episcopal appointments, namely: as auxiliary bishop of New York in May 1977, as bishop of Metuchen, New Jersey, in November 1981, as archbishop of Newark in May 1986 and as archbishop of Washington, D.C., in November 2000.
The data included was taken from publicly available sources. The glossary begins with a description of the two key Vatican offices involved, continues with the offices’ leaders and concludes with a focus on U.S. cardinals who had unusual influence during the periods in question.
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