VATICAN CITY
Crux
October 2, 2018
Elise Harris
[Editor’s note: Crux is publishing an occasional series of brief profiles in the ongoing drama surrounding clerical sexual abuse, ex-Cardinal Theodore McCarrick, and accusations of cover-up against various Church officials including Pope Francis.]
If there’s anyone who arguably holds the key to unlocking everything the Vatican knew about the scandals surrounding ex-Cardinal Theodore McCarrick, that person is Canadian Cardinal Marc Ouellet.
Currently Prefect of the Vatican’s Congregation for Bishops, Ouellet sits atop a department which, according to former Vatican ambassador to the United States Archbishop Carlo Maria Viganò, contains a “thick” dossier on McCarrick, who lost his red hat in July after accusations went public that he had abused minors nearly 40 years ago.
Viganò published a letter Aug. 25 making a series of accusations against both current and former Vatican officials, including Pope Francis, arguing that he told the pope about McCarrick’s alleged misconduct with seminarians in 2013, and Francis ignored restrictions put into place by Benedict XVI and instead turned to McCarrick as a key advisor.
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