Ex-Cardinal's Charges Dismissed

A Massachusetts judge yesterday dismissed a criminal sexual assault case against former US cardinal Theodore McCarrick after finding him unfit to stand trial. The 93-year-old was the highest-ranking Catholic cleric to face charges in the church's sexual abuse scandal.

McCarrick had faced three counts of indecent assault and battery in Massachusetts for allegedly sexually assaulting a teenage boy during a wedding reception in 1974, to which he plead not guilty in 2021. In June, a state forensic psychologist assessed McCarrick at his home in Missouri and testified yesterday that McCarrick exhibited cognitive issues, including with his memory and ability to retain information. McCarrick also faces charges in Wisconsin for an alleged sexual assault incident in 1977.

McCarrick was defrocked in 2019 after an internal investigation concluded ample evidence of abuse existed. The Vatican published the full report, which found multiple senior officials overlooked or ignored claims of sexual abuse and misconduct, allowing McCarrick to rise through church ranks.