After being silent for decades, James Grein, a former New Jersey resident, showed up in public and accused former Cardinal Theodore McCarrick of having subjected him to a pattern of sexual abuse starting when he was 11 years old. However, McCarrick reportedly denied it through an interview via phone call. In addition, a hearing from 2021 also brought up other sexual abuses to minors and seminarians of McCarrick.
Allegations on Former Cardinal Theodore McCarrick
The Catholic News Agency reported that McCarrick was accused of sexually abusing minors and seminarians, which led to his laicization in 2019 by Pope Francis. McCarrick held one of the highest positions in the Catholic Church before his laicization. Despite these allegations of sexual misconduct, the charges brought against McCarrick in Massachusetts, to which he has pleaded not guilty, are the first time he has been subject to judicial proceedings. On Tuesday, Feb. 28, he reportedly participated in a 10-minute interview with NorthJersey.com via phone.
The reporter asked if McCarrick still remembered his victim, James Grein, a former resident of New Jersey who is now 64 years old. The former cardinal confirmed that he knows Grein. However, he denied all the accusations and told the reporter to ask for more information from his lawyers. As mentioned, in 2018, Grein went public with accusations that the now-laicized clergyman had engaged in serial sexual abuse against him.
According to Yahoo News, Grein says that McCarrick was a close family acquaintance who baptized him but then went on to abuse him for years, beginning when he was 11 years old. Grein grew up in Tenafly and now resides in Virginia. The victim stated that McCarrick would attend his family's gatherings and vacations. He also gave the nickname of "Uncle Ted" to McCarrick before."He sexually and spiritually abused me," Grain stated.
Other Criminal Charges Against Former Cardinal Theodore McCarrick
A report from Angelus News stated that in the Massachusetts court in 2021, McCarrick was also accused of three counts of indecent assault and battery on a person older than 14. According to court documents, McCarrick had a close relationship with the victim's family, celebrating Mass at their residence and traveling with them. The victim told investigators that McCarrick abused him during international travel. According to the criminal complaint, the abuse also occurred under the pretext of providing spiritual direction to the victim.
One incident allegedly occurred in the 1970s on the Wellesley College campus during the reception for the victim's brother's wedding. McCarrick reportedly convinced the victim, who was 16 at the time, to go outside with him to discuss the victim's lack of Mass attendance. Using a closet for seclusion, McCarrick allegedly told the victim he had to go to confession upon their return to the reception area. According to the complaint, McCarrick continued to assault the boy while hiding behind the sacrament.
Moreover, McCarrick's attorneys, Daniel Marx, and Barry Coburn, submitted a petition on Monday, Feb. 27, asking to have the charges dropped. They argued that a mental health assessment found the former prelate could not face prosecution due to advancing and irreversible dementia. David Schretlen, a psychiatry and behavioral sciences professor at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, was recruited by McCarrick's attorneys to assess the previous calendar year. Although the report that Schretlen produced is presently under wraps, McCarrick's attorneys claim it demonstrates that prosecutors cannot try their client.
According to the motion to dismiss, Schretlen's report indicated McCarrick performed worse on cognitive tests than 92% of men his age and could not recall case-related details, including the identities of potential witnesses.The defender of alleged victims asserted that he was not surprised and added that McCarrick was employing a "commonly used strategy" of "denial, deception, and cover-up" in civil and criminal sexual abuse cases involving the Catholic Church. In addition, McCarrick faces a maximum of five years in prison for each count if convicted.
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