Cardinal McCarrick Faces Lawsuit over Underage Sex Ring

Former Cardinal Theodore McCarrick is being sued by a man who claims the priest ran a sex ring of underage boys and clerics at a beach house on the Jersey Shore. The suit describes trips to a Sea Girt beach house where Cardinal McCarrick allegedly assigned sleeping arrangements so that he and other clerics could abuse the boys. The suit was filed under new provisions put in place by the New Jersey Child Victims Act.

The Allegations Against Cardinal McCarrick

The suit was filed by a man under the pseudonym Doe 14 who claims he was 14 years old at the time of McCarrick’s abuse in 1982 and 1983. Doe says he and other boys accompanied the Cardinal and other clerics on weekend trips to the Sea Girt beach house where they would be separated to make it easier for the adults to target them.

“McCarrick assigned sleeping arrangements, choosing his victims from the boys, seminarians and clerics present at the beach house,” according to the suit. “On these occasions, minor boys were assigned to different rooms and paired with adult clerics.”

Former Cardinal McCarrick has denied all accusations as well as any wrongdoing on his part.

The Church’s Role

Doe claims that McCarrick was able to work his way up the ranks of the Newark Diocese despite decades worth of accusations of abuse. Doe himself was first introduced to McCarrick in 1982 by another church official, Brother Andrew Hewitt, the principal at Essex Catholic Boy’s High School at the time. Doe has also accused Hewitt, who died in 2002, of abuse. Hewitt reportedly told Doe that McCarrick could help him pay for his tuition.

At the time they met, McCarrick was serving as the Bishop of the Archdiocese of Metuchen. He went on to become a Cardinal in 2001. The suit also names other clerics who Doe is accusing of abuse as well as the Archdiocese of Newark.

“It would be inappropriate to discuss or comment on matters in litigation. The Archdiocese of Newark remains fully committed to transparency and to our long-standing programs to protect the faithful and will continue to work with victims, their legal representatives and law enforcement authorities in an ongoing effort to resolve allegations and bring closure to victims,” the Archdiocese of Newark said in a statement reported by Daily News. 

After allegations against him were found credible in 2018, McCarrick was suspended and resigned from his position as Cardinal, the first time a Cardinal has done so in nearly a century. After his resignation, McCarrick was moved to a small Kansas friary where he was sentenced to a “life of prayer and penance” by Pope Francis, according to Slate.

“I know that itself could be construed as problematic, like the church is continuing to cover for him or harbor him,” Father Christopher Popravak, a provincial minister with the Denver Archdiocese responsible for the friary, told Slate. “But we’re not attempting to profit from this. This is simply an attempt for us to show mercy.”

History of Alleged Abuse by Cardinal McCarrick

This suit is not the first time that abuse allegations have been brought against McCarrick. In August 2019, the Daily News reported on a collection of “creepy correspondence” between then-Cardinal McCarrick and some of the boys who he allegedly targeted. Experts reportedly say these messages have characteristics of grooming, a practice by which abusers prepare their victims for said abuse.

The correspondence, usually postcards, was sent to boys McCarrick called his “nephews” and were signed “Uncle T.” One such message was sent to a seminarian who reported being groped during an overnight stay in New York City. “Uncle T.” thanked the victim for his visit. Other notes were sent in letters to the victims’ parents creating greater pressure for the victims to visit the Cardinal.

This is also not the first time former Cardinal McCarrick has faced allegations regarding the beach house. A Slate interview with the cleric includes accounts of decades worth of accusations against the former priest. In response to questions regarding the alleged sex ring at the Jersey beach house, McCarrick denied all accusations.

“I’m not as bad as they paint me,” McCarrick told Slate. “I do not believe that I did the things that they accused me of.”

This article is not legal advice. It is presented
for informational purposes only.