Pope Francis accepts Cardinal Theodore McCarrick's resignation amid sex scandal

Pope Francis accepts Cardinal Theodore McCarrick's resignation amid sex scandal

USA Today NetworkTeresa Lo, USA TODAY Published 7:45 a.m. ET July 28, 2018 | Updated 7:48 a.m. ET July 28, 2018

Pope Francis has accepted the resignation of retired Cardinal Theodore McCarrick, the former Washington, D.C. archbishop who faces allegations of sexually abusing a minor 47 years ago when he was a priest in New York, the Vatican said in a statement Saturday.

The statement said Francis received the U.S. prelate's offer to resign from the College of Cardinals a day earlier.

The pope ordered McCarrick's suspension from the exercise of any public ministry and directed him to "a life of prayer and penance" until the accusations of sexual misconduct are examined in a regular canonical trial.

"While I have absolutely no recollection of this reported abuse, and believe in my innocence, I am sorry for the pain the person who brought the charges has gone through, as well as for the scandal such charges cause our people," McCarrick said in a statement.

While no additional allegations were found regarding abuse with minors, the review process did find allegations that the retired cardinal had engaged in sexual misconduct with adults while he served in New Jersey.

As a result of charges that church officials called "credible and substantiated," McCarrick stepped down from active ministry in June. He is believed to be the first cardinal to leave the active ministry after allegations of sexually abusing a minor.

At the time of the alleged abuse, McCarrick was private secretary to Cardinal Terence Cooke, a position he held from 1971 to 1977, according to a statement from the Archdiocese of New York. The allegations were reported to law enforcement officials, and were investigated by an independent forensic agency.

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