Clericalist culture tainted
If a legacy is tainted by McCarrick report, it’s clericalist culture
In the wake of the Vatican’s explosive report on Theodore McCarrick, the ex-cardinal and ex-priest brought down two years ago by revelations of sexual abuse and misconduct, some observers say the report “taints” the legacy of St. Pope John Paul II because he’s the pontiff who promoted McCarrick despite confidential warnings about his behavior.
The report shows that when St. John Paul named McCarrick to the Archdiocese of Washington, D.C., in 2000, he had a letter from the late Cardinal John O’Connor of New York outlining various accusations made against McCarrick, including claims of sexual advances to priests; anonymous charges of pedophilia; and reports of sharing his bed with young adult men, including seminarians.
Nonetheless, St. John Paul chose to overlook those concerns and put McCarrick in Washington, positioning him to expand his reach and influence for the next 20 years.