Theodore McCarrick, a once-prominent Catholic cardinal defrocked for sexual abuse, passed away at 94. His scandal revealed systemic failures within the Catholic Church, with leaders knowing about his inappropriate relationships with seminarians but allowing his rise to power. The Vatican's investigation notably blamed Pope John Paul II for overlooking evidence of McCarrick's misconduct. This report underscored the church's struggle with accountability and trust, marking McCarrick's case as a cornerstone of the modern clerical abuse crisis.
The McCarrick scandal created a crisis of credibility for the church, primarily because there was evidence Vatican and U.S. church leaders knew he slept with seminarians but turned a blind eye.
The Vatican’s report on its investigation put the lion’s share of blame on a dead saint: Pope John Paul II, who appointed McCarrick archbishop of Washington, D.C.
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