He was once one of the most powerful men in the Catholic Church. Theodore McCarrick was a cardinal and archbishop who lead the Newark Archdiocese from 1986 to 2000. He resigned from the College of Cardinals in 2018 after accusations of sexual abuse against him were found to be credible. No criminal charges were ever filed against McCarrick in New Jersey due to the state's statute of limitations. Charges filed Wednesday by the Wellesley, Massachusetts police are the result of incidents that allegedly took place at a wedding in 1974. McCarrick was at the wedding and his accuser was only 16 years old at the time. The complaint says McCarrick later sexually abused the boy in other states, including New Jersey. Authorities in Massachusetts were able to file the charges because McCarrick left the state. So the statute of limitations there was suspended. These are the first criminal charges filed against McCarrick. Who is now 91 years old.
Source: New Jersey Herald
Photo: Getty Images