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From the perspective of the Archbishop of New York, Cardinal Timothy Dolan, the Vatican report on Theodore McCarrick shows that the cardinal was able to fool many with his lies, including himself, Dolan. Clericalism also contributed to what was happening. This is what the Archbishop of New York said on his “Conversation with Cardinal Dolan” podcast.
“He had a great talent for deceiving, manipulating. It was lovely, it lied, and it worked. And it worked for a lot of people. When I look back now, I have to say: it worked for me too. I never had references to inappropriate sexual behavior, but I must say that I admired him. I thought it was a good example of great energy and love for the Church. I have to say that his spell got me too. “
With these words, Cardinal Timothy Dolan describes in his latest weekly podcast how former Cardinal McCarrick was able to create a credible image of himself that nevertheless masked the truth. On Tuesday, after two years of work, the Vatican Secretariat of State presented its “report on the institutional knowledge and decision-making process of the Holy See in relation to former Cardinal Theodore Edgar McCarrick (period from 1930 to 2017 ) “. The former archbishop of Washington and cardinal was even considered a committed fighter against abuse in his day. McCarrick was also able to deceive the then Pope John Paul II, as the Vatican report says: he believed a personal letter in which the American bishop claimed that the rumors against him were unfounded or at least unproven.
Hand in hand: lies on the one hand, exaggeration of priests on the other
“The real villain here, and there is only one, who is Ted McCarrick,” explains Cardinal Dolan after reading the 460-page report from the Vatican. But: “The second villain here, we must – I’m afraid – say: it is a climate that placed priests above the law, gave them the privilege of doing things without being responsible, what we call clericalism.”
The Vatican report contains a great deal of “disappointing, sad and terrible material,” Cardinal Dolan said. He is grateful that the truth has finally come out. The Archbishop of New York expressly thanked all victims who had come forward and reported sexual abuse and thus contributed to the clarification:
“Since the accusations were made public, there were people thank God who came forward. I am very happy and grateful that you have done that, we really appreciate it, because it takes a lot, the wounds open again … ”
When allegations of sexual abuse of minors in connection with the abuse of power were confirmed, Pope Francis McCarrick withdrew his cardinal dignity in 2018. A few months later he also removed him from the clergy. McCarrick is 90 years old and lives in a Capuchin monastery in the US state of Kansas, protected from the outside world.
(cardinaldolan.org/vatican news – sst)
