Arrr! The Wisconsin judge be lettin' the ex-Catholic cardinal off the hook, sayin' he be havin' a wobbly mind!
2024-01-11
Avast, me hearties! A scallywag judge from Wisconsin be suspending charges against that former Cardinal Theodore McCarrick, accused of plunderin' a lad's virtue back in the 1970s. The judge be claimin' the good cardinal be unfit to defend his honor. Arrr, what a merry tale!
A Wisconsin judge has suspended charges against former Cardinal Theodore McCarrick, who is accused of sexually assaulting a boy in the 1970s, ruling that he is incompetent for trial due to dementia. The decision will be reviewed at the end of the year. McCarrick, who did not attend the hearing but listened in by phone, was charged with sexually assaulting an 18-year-old man over 45 years ago. The alleged victim also stated that McCarrick had repeatedly assaulted him since he was 11 and brought him to parties where he was abused by other men. McCarrick's attorney did not respond to a request for comment. Peter Isely of Nate's Mission, a project of Ending Clergy Abuse, said that the charges would bring McCarrick some kind of justice. McCarrick was removed from the priesthood in 2019 after a Vatican investigation found that he had sexually molested adults and children. He became the highest-ranking Catholic official in the US to face criminal charges for sexual abuse when he was accused in 2021 of assaulting a teenage boy in Massachusetts in 1974. His attorneys have argued that he is not competent to stand trial due to dementia. McCarrick was ordained in 1958 and held positions of power despite accusations against him. The church confirmed that it made financial settlements with adults who accused McCarrick of sexual misconduct. Wisconsin prosecutors learned of the 1977 assault through a program focused on prosecuting abuse by faith leaders. They were able to charge him as the statute of limitations does not apply to non-residents.