Cardinal Theodore McCarrick, the former Archbishop of Washington DC who was defrocked in February for soliciting sex while hearing Confession, had restrictions placed on him by the Holy See for many years, but these were not enforced, according to released excerpts from private and confidential correspondence among top Vatican leaders, CBS News reported on Tuesday.
Monsignor Anthony Figueiredo, who was the former secretary to McCarrick and who made the material public, told CBS that "I would be part of the cover-up if I simply kept that correspondence to myself."
The lack of enforcement against McCarrick meant that even after the sexual allegations were known, he was allowed to continue traveling on behalf of the Vatican despite limitations imposed as part of the church punishment.
Figueiredo, who said much damage to the lives of so many could have been avoided had the restrictions been made public and enforced as soon as they were imposed, wrote an 11-page document in “the hope is that it will help foster a culture of transparency and trust in the way that leaders at all levels of the Church and society respond to allegations of abuse of any kind.”
He told CBS that releasing the documents could help in future cases by helping to ensure that if there are restrictions on others bishops that the Vatican will actually enforce them.
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