Pope Francis accepts resignation of Cardinal Theodore McCarrick after sex abuse claims

Pope breaks with past practice and acts swiftly in case involving prelate who was previously one of the highest, most visible Catholic Church officials in the United States

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Pope Francis, left. greeting Cardinal Archbishop emeritus Theodore McCarrick in Washington in 2015. The pope accepted McCarrick’s resignation from the College of Cardinals on Saturday after allegations of sexual abuse against the prelate. Photo: Washington Post via AP

Published: 1:32am, 29 Jul 2018Updated: 1:32am, 29 Jul 2018

In a move described as unprecedented, Pope Francis has effectively stripped US prelate Theodore McCarrick of his cardinal’s title and rank following allegations of sexual abuse, including one involving an 11-year-old boy.

The Vatican announced on Saturday that Francis ordered McCarrick to conduct a “life of prayer and penance” even before a church trial is held.

Breaking with past practice, Francis decided to act swiftly in the case of the emeritus archbishop of Washington, D.C., even before the accusations are investigated by church officials.

Pope Francis during his general audience last month in Rome. The McCarrick case posed a test of the pontiff’s recently declared resolve to battle what he called a “culture of cover-up”. Photo: Zuma Press

McCarrick was previously one of the highest, most visible Catholic Church officials in the United States and was heavily involved in the church’s response there to allegations of priestly abuse.

The pope has ordered McCarrick’s “suspension from the exercise of any public ministry, together with the obligation to remain in a house yet to be indicated to him, for a life of prayer and penance until the accusations made against him are examined in a regular canonical trial,” the Vatican said.

Among those McCarrick reportedly abused was a boy who was the first baby he had baptised soon after he was ordained a priest.