Former Cardinal Theodore McCarrick of the New Jersey Catholic diocese is facing new sexual abuse allegations.

Now living in a small town in Kansas, McCarrick gave an interview to Slate in September at which time the former priest denied doing anything wrong.

In the Slate article, McCarrick now 89, said, “I do not believe that I did the things that they accused me of.”

Those words spurred former victims to speak out against the man they say betrayed their trust. At least seven new alleged victims of sex abuse by the priest have come forward, according to The Washington Post. The men say they were sexually abused by McCarrick during travels to fundraisers and parishioners between 1970 and 1990.

The Washington Post reported that most of the boys knew each other because they would all travel together. They told the Post they are cooperating with the New York County district attorney’s office.

The pope defrocked McCarrick in February reportedly because of credible allegations he committed sexual abuse against two boys and also sexually harassed young seminarians. Church officials found him guilty of soliciting men for sex during confession and committing “sins” with children and adults, all the while abusing his power within the church to take advantage of others.

The accuser did not provide his name to the Post, but did say that McCarrick had a self-effacing, charming personality “and he ran that game on everyone. He ran it on his colleagues, donors and on young boys. Everyone around this guy is just a different shade of victim.”

Some Members of New Jersey Catholic Diocese Sentenced to Prison

New Jersey Attorney General Gurbir S. Grewal put together a New Jersey Clergy Abuse Task Force in September 2018 to investigate allegations of abuse by clergy members.

Father Brendan Williams, 78, was reportedly arrested and faces charges of second-degree sexual assault on a girl under the age of 13 while Williams was a pastor at St. Veronica Catholic Church in Howell from 1997 to 1999. The task force began its investigation into Williams after it received a call on the Clergy Abuse Task Force Hotline.

Although the diocese told reporters for Howell local news source Patch that Williams had been removed from the ministry because of “multiple” accusations of sexual abuse that were deemed credible, the diocese published an article in 2012 in their own newsletter that said Williams had retired.

The Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office told reporters that the Williams investigation is still active.

Another Catholic priest has been sentenced to four years in prison after being convicted of sexually assaulting a teen girl in the 1990s. As a priest at Saint Cecelia Church in Iselin, N.J.,  Thomas Ganley had supervisory authority over the girl at the time he committed the crime.

“Our Clergy Abuse Task Force is diligently pursuing its mission to expose the truth about past wrongs and seek justice for survivors, because no person is above the law and no institution is immune from accountability,” said Attorney General Grewal in a press release earlier this year.

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