Pope Francis Breaks Silence on Recent Abuse Scandal
After nearly a yearlong silence, Pope Francis has officially addressed allegations that he knew about the sexually abusive Cardinal Theodore McCarrick and lifted sanctions that were imposed on him by Pope Benedict XVI.
In an 11-page letter released in August of last year, Archbishop Viganò, former Nuncio from the Vatican to Washington, D.C., alleged that Cardinal Theodore McCarrick had been sanctioned under Pope Benedict XVI only to have those sanctions removed by Pope Francis upon his ascendancy in 2013. Cardinal McCarrick had an alleged history of sexually abusing male seminarians and, according to Viganò, was ordered by Pope Benedict to refrain from saying Mass or public ministry.
Monsignor Jean-François Lantheaume, the former first counsellor at the apostolic nunciature in Washington, D.C., said flatly that Viganò “said the truth” in his letter, which was followed by several other high-ranking prelates testifying to Viganó’s respectable character.
Shortly after the letter dropped, Pope Francis elected to remain silent and maintained that protocol until this past Tuesday when he told Mexican journalist Valentina Alazraki that he “knew nothing” about Cardinal McCarrick’s behavior and did not remember if Archbishop Viganò ever informed him about the sanctions.
“I have said it many times, I knew nothing, no idea,” he said. “And when this guy (Vigano) said that he told me about it that day, that he came … I don’t remember if he told me about this. If it’s true or not. No idea!” (Read more from “Pope Francis Breaks Silence on Recent Abuse Scandal” HERE)
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