News Briefs

Former cardinal Theodore McCarrick arrives outside Massachusetts’ Dedham District Courthouse for his arraignment, Sept. 3, 2021. / Andrew Bukuras/CNA

Dedham, Mass., Aug 31, 2023 / 15:30 pm (CNA).

Theodore McCarrick’s eloquence vaulted him to the upper echelons of the Catholic Church, and he stayed there, in part, by using that gift to artfully fend off whispers of sexual misconduct that threatened to knock him off his lofty perch.

Now, it’s his loss for words that appears to have spared him a prison sentence from a Massachusetts court.

In a recent psychological evaluation, McCarrick couldn’t remember the words “trial,” “necklace,” or “pacemaker,” and he drew a blank when asked for the name of the current president of the United States.

“Yes … the president … president… I see him right in front of me … I knew him when I was in Washington and he was a vice president,” he replied. “Oh, I know him; I just can’t remember his name!” 

On Aug. 30, a state district court judge in the Boston suburb of Dedham dismissed criminal sex abuse charges against McCarrick, ruling that the now-93-year-old ex-cardinal, who appears frail and severely stooped in photographs, isn’t mentally competent to stand trial. 

Prosecutors in the case requested the dismissal.

The ruling was based on two separate psychological evaluations, one done in December 2022 for McCarrick’s defense team and the other in June by an expert hired by prosecutors. Both assessments concluded that the disgraced former archbishop of Washington, D.C., is too cognitively impaired to actively participate in his defense.

McCarrick remains the defendant in a criminal case in Wisconsin and civil lawsuits elsewhere.

Columbia law professor Daniel Richman told CNA the Massachusetts court’s finding that McCarrick is incompetent to stand trial doesn’t bind courts in other places.

“But you could also imagine that the same factual presentation will be made to other judges in other criminal cases, and the judge there may at least notice, if not be interested in, how another judge resolved the case,” Richman said.

‘Effrontery’

McCarrick was charged in state court in Massachusetts last year with three counts of indecent assault and battery on a person over the age of 14. The charges related to allegations that he sexually abused a teenager who was a family friend at a wedding he officiated in 1974 at Wellesley College in Wellesley, Massachusetts.

That teenager has publicly identified himself as James Grein, now 64 and originally from New Jersey.

The defense team’s expert, psychologist David Schretlen, related in his report some of the frustrations McCarrick’s lawyers have experienced in preparing his defense. 

Schretlen refers to the former cardinal as “Dr. McCarrick,” an apparent reference to his doctoral degree in sociology. Because Pope Francis dismissed McCarrick from the clerical state in February 2019, the Church formally refers to him as “Mr. McCarrick.”

“His attorneys explained that Dr. McCarrick usually seems to understand their questions and follow discussions of legal matters. However, they noted that he often later asks questions that reflect a failure to either understand or remember important details of their discussions. This can occur both during (i.e., within minutes) and after (i.e., within hours to days) of a meeting,” Schretlen noted.

“He once asked to set up a meeting to discuss a matter that he was ‘excited’ to bring up, only to forget what it was when they met, nor had he written it down,” his report continued. 

“On numerous occasions, Dr. McCarrick ostensibly asks questions to clarify previously discussed matters, but his questions clearly indicate that he has no memory of the previous discussions,” Schretlen reported. “At other times, he will email cryptic messages, such as the single word ‘effrontery,’ that he is unable to explain later.”

Schretlen concluded that McCarrick has a “severe cognitive disorder” and “everyday functional disability” consistent with dementia and most likely caused by Alzheimer’s disease.

‘My big problem’

The June evaluation, conducted by psychologist Kerry Nelligan, was based on six and a half hours of conversations with McCarrick at his residence at the Vianney Renewal Center, a Catholic facility in Dittmer, Missouri, run by the Servants of the Paraclete religious order.

Nelligan’s 28-page report, part of the court record, offers a window into McCarrick’s current health and mindset.

Given McCarrick’s advanced age and deteriorating condition, the document also provides what could wind up being the last public words McCarrick ever makes about the scandals that surround him.

Asked by Nelligan about his understanding of the possible evidence that could be used by the prosecution, McCarrick replied, “I can’t imagine there is anything because I’ve never done this.”

Nelligan’s report notes that McCarrick “has myriad medical issues,” including hypertension, chronic liver disease, heart failure, and atherosclerotic heart disease. He relies on a pacemaker and has suffered a series of mini-strokes, she noted.

During her conversations with McCarrick, she asked him if he had difficulties with his memory.

“Yes,” he replied. “I have trouble with words. It’s annoying. I can’t come up with the words you want.”

Asked what he had eaten for breakfast the morning of their conversation, McCarrick replied: “Oatmeal with … beans. No …. not beans. Oh, what’s the word?” When Nelligan asked if he meant raisins, he replied, “Oh, yes! Raisins!”

Another time, when she asked him to name items she was wearing or holding, McCarrick said: “You have a silver brace around your neck,” instead of using the word “necklace.” He similarly described her bracelet as a “wrist ornament.”

“Word finding is my big problem. I’m looking for a word, and I get mad because I can’t find it,” McCarrick said. “I do forget some peoples’ names, too.”

McCarrick also appeared to struggle with his awareness of time. While he could provide the month and day, he gave wildly different and incorrect answers when asked about the current year. In one instance, when Nelligan asked at a different time if he knew what the current year was, he replied: “Yes, 0256.”

A persuasive communicator

McCarrick’s command of words at the height of his power helped make and keep him an extraordinarily influential Churchman.

In 2000, when McCarrick was archbishop of Newark, New Jersey, and under investigation by the Vatican for occasionally sharing a bed with seminarians at a vacation home on the Jersey Shore owned by the archdiocese, McCarrick issued a comprehensive and apparently heartfelt denial of sexual misconduct with others.

“Your Excellency, sure I have made mistakes and may have sometimes lacked in prudence, but in the 70 years of my life, I have never had sexual relations with any person, male or female, young or old, cleric or lay, nor have I ever abused another person or treated them with disrespect,” McCarrick wrote to Pope John Paul II’s secretary, then-Bishop Stanislaw Dziwicz.

McCarrick’s letter seems to have gone right to John Paul’s heart.

“Tell McCarrick that I believe what he said and I am still a friend,” John Paul told Cardinal Angelo Sodano, his secretary of state, shortly before Sodano was to visit the United States, according to a 2020 report by the Vatican commissioned by Pope Francis.

“McCarrick’s denial was believed,” the Vatican report states, “and the view was held that, if allegations against McCarrick were made public, McCarrick would be able to refute them easily.”

Three months after McCarrick sent the letter, John Paul promoted McCarrick, appointing him archbishop of Washington. In February 2001, the pope made him a cardinal.

McCarrick served as archbishop of Washington until 2006, when he resigned at the canon-law retirement age for bishops, 75.

‘I pray a lot’

Nelligan’s report provided a measure of McCarrick’s decline since then. ​​McCarrick has fallen from the 98th percentile in IQ to a cognitive ability worse than 92% of reasonably healthy men his age, she reported.

In McCarrick’s interview with Nelligan, he was asked how he spends his free time, McCarrick said: “I pray a lot. I read a lot of church stuff. I play bingo. I won around Easter time … five dollars.”

“He indicated that he gets along with all of the staff at his residence, ‘Very well,’” the report said. “We all work together,” McCarrick said. “There are a lot of holy people here.”

[…]

The fire that devastated St. Joseph’s sanctuary was primarily concentrated in the roof. / Photo courtesy of Abigail Dollins/Statesman Journal

Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Aug 31, 2023 / 14:17 pm (CNA).

A large fire devastated St. Joseph Catholic Church, a historic parish in Salem, Oregon, early Thursday morning, leading pastor Father Jeff Meeuwsen to conclude that the sanctuary “is pretty much a loss.”

St. Joseph’s is one of the oldest parish communities in Oregon. It serves about 3,500 faithful and is a part of the Archdiocese of Portland, located about an hourlong drive from downtown Portland.

Debra Gill, a reporter for local news station Fox 12 Oregon, said in a Thursday morning broadcast that “really heavy flames on the roof” of the church wreaked havoc on the sanctuary structure.

Despite the extensive damage, no one was hurt, according to a Thursday morning parish statement.

“It is with great sorrow to announce that there [was] a fire at St. Joseph last night,” the parish said. “We are still gathering information. The fire continues inside the church but is contained to the church. A great blessing is that as far as we know no one was hurt. We will have more information soon, but we are asking for prayers at this time.”

“What I was told by the investigators is that the church building is pretty much a loss,” Meeuswen said on a Fox 12 Oregon broadcast Thursday morning.

“I’m very sad that we lost the church building, very sad,” Meeuswen said. “But the church also isn’t just a building, it’s a people. The people of St. Joseph will pull together.”

“It’s super sad,” he added. “But we’ll move on, and we’ll keep doing the mission of Jesus Christ to the best of our ability.”

In a social media statement, the Archdiocese of Portland said that Archbishop Alexander Sample was on the ground with the parish community on Thursday assessing the situation.

The archdiocese called for prayers for the parish community and said it stands “united as a Church in the face of this tragedy.”

From his personal X account, Sample announced he would be celebrating a Mass in the parish parking lot at noon on Thursday. He also asked for the faithful to pray a Memorare for the Salem Catholics who lost their parish home.

“I am in Salem this morning to be with the people of St. Joseph Parish,” Sample said. “Together, we will recover from last night’s destructive fire. Praise God no one was hurt. Thank you to all the first responders for their tireless efforts. God bless!”

According to the latest statements from the Salem Police Department, the cause of the fire is currently unknown.

Fox 12 Oregon reported that a bystander walking by called emergency services after noticing the fire around 2:30 a.m.

The fire was still burning two hours later at 4:30 a.m.

First responders feared it would spread to the surrounding buildings, such as the parish school, but they were able to contain the flames to the sanctuary itself.

Though the current structure was built in 1953, the parish community was founded in 1853 and the original church was built in 1864.

St. Joseph’s is one of eight parishes in the Archdiocese of Portland to offer the traditional Latin Mass. 

[…]

Pope Francis addresses pilgrims from the Ruthenian Eparchy of Mukachevo in St. Peter’s Basilica, Dec. 11, 2019. / Filippo Monteforte/AFP via Getty Images.

Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Aug 31, 2023 / 11:55 am (CNA).

Pope Francis this week confirmed the appointment of a Pittsburgh priest as the bishop of a Byzantine Catholic eparchy serving several midwestern U.S. states, the Vatican announced Thursday. 

In its regular update of resignations and appointments, the Holy See Press Office said Aug. 31 that Father Robert Mark Pipta had been appointed as bishop of the Eparchy of Parma based outside of Cleveland.

The Byzantine Catholic Church — formally titled the Ruthenian Greek Catholic Church — is known in canon law as an “ecclesia particularis,” or a “particular church,” one that is in full communion with the Holy See but which retains distinct liturgical rites and customs from that of the Latin Church. 

An eparchy is the Byzantine Catholic equivalent of a diocese. The Parma eparchy encompasses most of Ohio as well as Indiana, Michigan, Illinois, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Missouri, Iowa, Kansas, Nebraska, North Dakota, and South Dakota, the bishopric says on its website.

Pipta previously served in the clergy of the eparchy of Holy Protection of Mary of Phoenix of the Ruthenians and most recently as rector of the Byzantine Catholic Seminary of Sts. Cyril and Methodius in Pittsburgh, the Vatican said. 

Pipta was ordained in 1994 for the Byzantine Catholic Eparchy of Van Nuys, the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops says on its website. He has served at parishes in California and Nevada in addition to his appointments in Pennsylvania and Arizona. 

The newly appointed bishop said in a letter this week that since its founding 50 years ago, the Parma eparchy has “shown itself a leader in return to authentic liturgical practice and has enhanced its parishes in the liturgical arts.”

“Efforts of evangelization and outreach are notable in the eparchy, including guidance to assist college students in remaining connected to their Byzantine Catholic upbringing,” Pipta said. “I’m eager to do my part for the increase of these and many other Spirit-guided endeavors.”

Reached for comment on Thursday, an eparchy official said the bishopric has not yet finalized arrangements for Pipta’s installation. Passaic Eparchy Bishop Kurt Richard Burnette, who also serves as the apostolic administrator of Parma, said in a letter that Pipta would be consecrated in his new role on Nov. 8. 

The Parma eparchy includes nearly 30 parishes spread across 12 states, totaling roughly 4,300 parishioners.

The eparchy was established in February 1969 by Pope Paul VI.

[…]

Sanford, Florida, police arrested Donovan Faison, 21, on Aug. 29, 2023, in connection with the November 2022 killing of his pregnant girlfriend and her preborn child, an action police believe was motivated by her refusal to get an abortion. / Cr… […]

Pope Francis prays at his Wednesday audience in St. Peter’s Square on April 12, 2023. / Daniel Ibáñez/CNA

Denver, Colo., Aug 31, 2023 / 05:00 am (CNA).
Pope Francis’ prayer intention for the month of September is for people living on the margin… […]

Former cardinal Theodore McCarrick arrives at Massachusetts’ Dedham District Courthouse for his arraignment, Sept. 3, 2021. / Andrew Bukuras/CNA

Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Aug 30, 2023 / 16:20 pm (CNA).

A group known as BishopAccountability.org, which tracks sexual abuse in the Catholic Church, condemned a Massachusetts district judge’s Wednesday decision to dismiss criminal charges against former cardinal Theodore McCarrick.

The criminal charges involving the sexual assault and abuse of a minor were dismissed Wednesday after a judge ruled McCarrick, 93, was not mentally competent to stand trial.

Anne Barrett Doyle, co-director of the bishops accountability group, told CNA that “the dismissal of the case against McCarrick is hugely disappointing” and that “our hearts go out to the courageous victim who brought this case, and to all of McCarrick’s victims.”

McCarrick, the disgraced former archbishop of Washington, D.C., was facing three counts of indecent assault and battery on a person over the age of 14 relating to allegations that he sexually abused a teenager who was a family friend at a wedding ceremony in the 1970s at Wellesley College in Wellesley, Massachusetts. 

That teenager was identified by NorthJersey.com in February as James Grein, a now-64-year-old former New Jersey resident.

The charges in Massachusetts were the first criminal charges that McCarrick has ever faced following several accusations of sexual abuse of minors and seminarians. 

Doyle asserted that Wednesday’s dismissal “is a reminder of the Catholic hierarchy’s cynical strategy of cover-up.”

“McCarrick’s predations were an open secret,” Doyle said. “Many of his fellow cardinals and bishops knew, and they did nothing. They didn’t report him to law enforcement, they didn’t go public with the information, and they didn’t reach out to those he assaulted.” 

According to Doyle, “McCarrick might have been prosecuted years ago if even one of his brother bishops had called the police.” 

“Instead,” she said, “yet again, a predator has evaded accountability. While the institution may have been spared the embarrassment of an ex-cardinal on trial, the disgrace of its complicity with McCarrick remains.” 

Despite the group’s frustration over the dismissal, Doyle said the case remains an important milestone. 

“McCarrick was the first U.S. cardinal and only second U.S. bishop ever to be charged with abuse,” Doyle said. “Two years ago, the world witnessed what was unimaginable 20 years ago, when the Catholic abuse crisis first broke in Boston: a former U.S. cardinal in a courtroom answering to criminal charges of child sexual abuse.”

Once a powerful figure in ecclesiastical, diplomatic, and political circles in the U.S. and around the world, McCarrick was formally removed from the clerical state by Pope Francis in 2019. 

Criminal sexual assault charges filed against McCarrick in Wisconsin in April are still pending, as are several civil lawsuits.

[…]