Catholics are still reeling over the devastating scandal involving the sexual abuse charges leveled against Cardinal Theodore McCarrick.
From all corners of the Church, questions are being raised about those who might have known about McCarrick’s misconduct, about how the Church will now handle the allegations against McCarrick, and about what it means for the Church that a prominent, powerful, and reportedly predatory cleric was permitted to continue in ministry for decades without censure or intervention.
Because McCarrick was a leading voice in the Church’s 2002 response to the sexual abuse crisis in the United States, and an architect of the USCCB’s Dallas Charter of the same year, the credibility of that response has also, for some, come into question.
For parents and others who placed trust in the Church to secure a safe environment for children, those questions are especially important.