An ex-cardinal in the USA is accused of sexual abuse. In front of the courtroom, the defendant looked frail. He did not comment on the serious allegations.
Dedham – Former US Cardinal Theodore McCarrick has pleaded not guilty to US media reports on charges of sexual abuse.
The 91-year-old did not speak out during the hearing in Dedham, Massachusetts, on Friday, as the media unanimously reported from the courtroom. McCarrick is charged with sexually assaulting a minor in the 1970s.
McCarrick was Archbishop of Washington from 2001 to 2006. Pope Francis removed him from the cardinal dignity in the summer of 2018. In 2019, around six months later, he released him from the priesthood. McCarrick was previously found guilty of sexual misconduct in its dealings with minors and adults in an investigation by the Vatican Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. In the past, statute of limitations had made criminal prosecution difficult in many cases. McCarrick himself had denied misconduct several times, according to US reports.
McCarrick with a walker
Videos showed how the 91-year-old McCarrick walked into the court with the help of a walker. “How many children, how many young lives, how many suicides, drug addictions, depression – this is what he gave us,” shouted a woman in front of the court, as recorded by the WCVB Boston broadcaster. The Washington Post reported that the alleged victim was also with relatives in the courtroom on Friday. dpa
