Dorian Cardinal Gray: Today's Report from the Vatican (updating in blue as I read the report)

Since the first ugly revelations over two years ago, every post carrying an image of Theodor McCarrick’s elfin features has consistently put me in mind of Oscar Wilde’s The Picture of Dorian Gray. 

For those unfamiliar with the classic (spoiler alert, but you really should know this one), the portrait of the title bore all the traits of the evil perpetrated by the increasingly callous, mysteriously youthful man it portrayed. As long as his portrait endured, Dorian Gray could not age. He remained strangely young and innocent of mein as his corrupting influence continued, year after year. The painting alone betrayed his interior depravity.

Oscar Wilde himself was betrayed to the law and imprisoned for the kinds of things that today’s Dorian Cardinal Gray managed to get away with for decades. McCarrick’s studious indifference to personal wealth and his shabby clothes made him seem as innocent as the peculiarly long-lived Gray with his carefully guarded old painting. 

Theodore McCarrick was consecrated bishop at what we now know was the statistical height of the clergy sex abuse crisis. At the time, no one who was consulted about McCarrick's possible consecration as bishop offered any reservation whatever. However, Kenneth Woodward wrote two years ago about the situation in some dioceses (and even at the head of the Vatican's Congregation for the Clergy) from the late 60's on in which the double lives of unchaste priests created a culture of hypocrisy and secrecy in which no one dared call out another for his transgression, no matter what line was crossed. George Weigel has also written about the clericalist culture which McCarrick played to his advantage for over forty years.

It was only in June, 2017 that McCarrick’s crimes finally caught up with him. The Archdiocese of New York had received an accusation of abuse of a minor that had taken place in the 1970’s; an independent review board deemed it credible and substantiated. Abuse of a minor changed everything: This was a crime that could be prosecuted according to Church law. In the juridical process, McCarrick was found guilty of acts against the sixth commandment with minors and adults, and then laicized.

Now we are going back to the ugly stories, but we are not looking for Dorian Gray this time. In today’s report, drawn up from an exhaustive analysis of documents and lengthy interviews, we are looking at his enablers, his collaborators, and the system he worked so well. How did this go on for so long, while this unworthy man climbed the ecclesiastical ladder to its highest ranks?

One thing that becomes sadly clear is that the unambiguous reports victims made to seminary superiors and diocesan bishops were not acted upon. Investigations from Rome (when they were carried out) were stymied by "inaccurate and incomplete information." The contradictory or vague responses made accusations against McCarrick seem baseless, even slanderous "gossip, rumors." Pope John Paul trusted his old friend until his dying day. But in 2006, Pope Benedict learned new details of a previously discredited accusation (concerning an adult) that dated to the 1980's. McCarrick was "invited" to "spontaneously" resign, but not subjected to canonical trial or penalties. In 2012, more information came forward about another case (involving a priest, this time in 1991). An investigation was ordered but never conducted, leaving McCarrick  unscathed. According to the report, Pope Francis (elected in 2013) was aware of only the basic outlines of the McCarrick case, presuming it to have been addressed by Pope Benedict. But when a credible accusation of abuse of a minor came in from New York, he acted with the kind of speed the Vatican is not equipped for, ordering a report that has taken over two years to come to completion.

In today's first reading, Paul speaks of us awaiting "the blessed hope, the coming of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ."

What do we do when we are without that kind of hope? Many of us may try to eke out as much from this life as we can, in whatever ways are within our reach. It can be tempting to look at the breathtaking wickedness done by Theodore McCarrick, or the complicity of bishops who failed to act, or blamed the accusers in response to Vatican investigations, or the damnable negligence of the Vatican diplomat who, in 2012, failed to carry out an investigation at all even though ordered to and feel somewhat holy by comparison.

Our own acts of hopelessness may be relatively puny, but perhaps only because we ourselves are so hesitant, uncreative, or unadventurous as sinners. Hans Urs von Balthasar once wrote (in Heart of the World, I think), "If there is a communion of saints, there is also a communion of sinners." We are all involved in sin in one way or another. Even venial sins are a cooperation with evil, a pulling away from communion with God that weakens the whole Church, down to the very last member, but when we are in the state of grace our prayers and acts of virtue strengthen the whole Church.

Theodore McCarrick is very old, and Judgment is coming for him and for all his enablers. Was he counting on his innocent image to cover for him forever? He has done tremendous harm, though no one can know why or know his state of soul. But we can, and must, pray for him and make sacrifices for his soul. Jesus Christ died to save even the likes of him.

We can, and must, pray for those who (whether naively or through self-interest) dissembled, looked the other way or joked about McCarrick’s peculiar charisma with handsome young men and deep-pocketed donors. 

We can, and must, above all, pray for all those who fell prey to this breathtakingly manipulative man. They carry a heavy cross, but thanks to them, Pope Francis has put in place new regulations for dealing not only with the abuse of minors, but also the "me too" cases in which people with authority intimidate those subject to them (whether by career or by vocation) into doing their will. Because of those who had the courage to speak out come what may, the truth is setting us all free.

Pope Francis ordered the lengthy report to be compiled and released "for the good of the universal Church."

The McCarrick Report (461 pages) (pdf): http://www.vatican.va/resources/resources_rapporto-card-mccarrick_20201110_en.pdf The first fourteen pages are the summary history of the McCarrick case. The report itself contains some graphic testimony. A trigger warning is included in the introductory pages (probably a first in Vatican history).

Commentaries on the McCarrick Report (I will update this list as I find other commentaries that I think are helpful)

From Where Peter Is: https://wherepeteris.com/the-mccarrick-report-40-years-of-facts-laid-bare/

From Catholic News Agency: https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/mccarrick-report-nj-bishops-gave-vatican-inaccurate-information-before-mccarricks-washington-appointment-84734

From Catholic World Report: https://www.catholicworldreport.com/2020/11/10/the-mccarrick-report-no-smoking-gun-but-massive-system-failure/

The third paragraph of this one really matches my impressions of the ex-Cardinal and his machinations, and helps explain in a small way how people who heard "rumors" seemed unable to take them more seriously: By Michael R. Heinlein: What Does the McCarrick Report Tell Us? https://www.osvnews.com/2020/11/12/what-does-the-mccarrick-report-tell-us/

On a related note (these links are updated frequently): 

Powerful, but stick with him through the philosophy: Dr Larry Chapp, The McCarrick Report and the De Facto Atheism of the Church: https://gaudiumetspes22.com/2020/11/11/the-mccarrick-report-and-the-de-facto-atheism-of-the-church-2/

From Crux of the News: Cardinal Dziwisz Defends Himself in the Wake of the McCarrick Report: https://cruxnow.com/church-in-europe/2020/11/cardinal-dziwisz-defends-himself-in-wake-of-mccarrick-report/

From Catholic News Service, Fighting Abuse: What Pope Francis Has Done during His Pontificate: https://www.catholicnews.com/fighting-abuse-what-pope-francis-has-done-during-his-pontificate/

By John Allen, from just before the release of the report: A Reader's Guide to the McCarrick Report: Beware of Bad Guys, Smoking Guns: https://cruxnow.com/news-analysis/2020/11/a-readers-guide-to-mccarrick-report-beware-of-bad-guys-smoking-guns/amp/

By J. D. Flynn (Editor at Catholic News Agency, he is also a dad, and a Canon Lawyer with experience in clerical abuses cases): After McCarrick Report, Embracing the Cross: https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/analysis-after-mccarrick-report-embracing-the-cross-95084

Experts, Abuse Survivors Share Reactions to McCarrick Report: https://osvnews.com/2020/11/19/experts-abuse-survivors-share-reactions-to-mccarrick-report/

Mary's Assumption and the Latest Scandal

The sickening revelations just keep on coming; 70 years worth of credible allegations, settlements and secrets. Some of the details are so revolting they cry to Heaven for vengeance. I can feel helpless, unless I go to the Lord in a spirit of reparation, to offset, in union with the Eucharistic Jesus and his infinitely precious sacrifice, some of that horrible debt of justice. I created a prayer guide for personal or group Eucharistic Adoration in Reparation which you can download and copy. (It is a bit long, so you might prefer to just download it to a device rather than print it all out!)

I can't help but relate the sins committed in and against the body to the feast we celebrate tomorrow: Mary's Assumption, body and soul, into Heaven. It is not only a dogma of faith that Mary was taken up into Heaven with her human (and now glorified) body: it is a dogma of faith that is surprisingly unknown to many Catholics, even Sunday Massgoers, that our own bodies are destined for the same kind of resurrection and glorification. When Paul had to scold the Corinthians about their lax sexual morals, he did so in the light of the resurrection of the body: "The body is not for immorality: it is for the Lord, and [amazingly] the Lord is for the body" (1 Cor 6:13).

In the words of Pope John Paul (July 9, 1997):

Mary’s Assumption reveals the nobility and dignity of the human body. In the face of the profanation and debasement to which modern society frequently subjects the female body, the mystery of the Assumption proclaims the supernatural destiny and dignity of every human body, called by the Lord to become an instrument of holiness and to share in His glory.

Mary entered into glory because she welcomed the Son of God in her virginal womb and in her heart. By looking at her, the Christian learns to discover the value of his own body and to guard it as a temple of God, in expectation of the resurrection. The Assumption, a privilege granted to the Mother of God, thus has immense value for the life and destiny of humanity.

Weeds among the Wheat: Facing Scandal (Again)

I am putting news links in this post out of a sense of responsibility, so you can see that I am not making this stuff up. However, for your peace of mind I do not recommend that you read the articles I have linked. If you feel the need to get the facts, please pray to the Holy Spirit for a grace of sanctification of the mind so that you do not suffer interior harm from what you will find in the news items.


We thought this was pretty much behind us. At least I did. When the Pope met with the bishops of Chile in May over the clergy sex abuse scandal in that nation, I thought that we in the north finally had our house in as much order as one could expect in this valley of tears. Ha! Just weeks later, "verifiable allegations" of sexual misconduct against a retired Cardinal brought it all back. Since then, more revelations have come forth, including a powerful testimonial by a priest who had been a seminarian under McCarrick in Newark but moved to Albany to escape the bishop's advances (as well as the sexual assaults of certain seminarians who had been emboldened by the bishop's abusive behavior).

This past week the anger levels on Catholic social media continued rising to combustible levels. Not only had McCarrick gotten away with his evil deeds (at least one case of abuse of a minor, and a number of accusations by adults who were — they might say "trapped" — under his jurisdiction), he clearly managed to do so with the help of friends in high places. It seems that McCarrick's misdeeds were shruggingly and silently tolerated even as he advanced from Bishop of Metuchen to Archbishop of Newark to Archbishop of Washington DC to Cardinal. So far no one (beginning with McCarrick) admits knowing anything. (According to a report by the New York Times, the serial abuses ended before 1994, after McCarrick was confronted by an auxiliary bishop and the Papal Nuncio.)

Early this morning (July 28), Pope Francis accepted McCarrick's resignation from the College of Cardinals and assigned him to a "life of prayer and penance" while awaiting a canonical trial on the charges made against him. The Pope has yet to name a place where the disgraced cleric will live, but he is not permitting McCarrick a choice in that matter, either.

Thanks be to God.

It is a real sign of the presence of the Holy Spirit in the Church that while all this was going on, and especially over these past seven days, the liturgy has presented us with powerful readings from the prophet Jeremiah pronouncing "Woe!" to the false shepherds of God's people. And today it is the Gospel that encourages us in a parable that is quite a picture of our current situation.

Let me share with you some of my lectio divina on today's Gospel:

Jesus proposed a parable to the crowds.
"The Kingdom of heaven may be likened to a man
who sowed good seed in his field.
While everyone was asleep his enemy came
and sowed weeds all through the wheat, and then went off.
When the crop grew and bore fruit, the weeds appeared as well.
The slaves of the householder came to him and said,
'Master, did you not sow good seed in your field?
Where have the weeds come from?'
He answered, 'An enemy has done this.'
His slaves said to him, 'Do you want us to go and pull them up?'
He replied, 'No, if you pull up the weeds
you might uproot the wheat along with them.
Let them grow together until harvest;
then at harvest time I will say to the harvesters,
"First collect the weeds and tie them in bundles for burning;
but gather the wheat into my barn."'"

The Kingdom of God may be likened to a man who sowed good seed in his field.
Everything comes from God, and everything will one day return to God. But it comes from God in an incomplete form, a seed; he lets his creation grow and develop in its own way, with a power he has given it. "God looked at all he had made, and he found it very good" (Gen 1:31). When it returns to God, its development will bear a creaturely stamp, but it will be made "complete in Christ" (Col 2:10).

While everyone was asleep...
Most of this ugly saga took place under Saint John Paul's watch (McCarrick was named a bishop by Pope Paul VI one year before John Paul's election). Is it possible that "everyone was asleep" because the Polish Pope was so charismatic that we put all our trust in him?

his enemy sowed weeds all through the wheat...
"Our struggle is not with flesh and blood but with the principalities, with the powers, with the world rulers of this present darkness, with the evil spirits in the heavens" (Eph 6:12). The sinner is not our enemy, but is in the grip of "the enemy of human nature." It is urgent that we pray for the perpetrator of the abuse and all who assisted (even if out of misplaced loyalty) in covering for him. "For there is nothing hidden that will not become visible, and nothing secret that will not be known and come to light" (Lk 8:17).

the crop grew and bore fruit...
These are very hope-filled words! The weeds do not appear until the wheat is already "bearing fruit for eternal life" (cf. Jn 4:36)! The harvest is within view; the crop has reached a certain maturity. There is just a little time left for the grain to fully ripen. "The Lord is near!" (Phil 4:5).

Let them grow together until harvest.
Admittedly, this is the hardest part to accept. Like the farm hands in the parable, I want to go into the field and ruthlessly tear out anything that even looks like a weed, not only in the Church, but in my own heart. God sees that this could be even more destructive than what the weeds alone can do. Besides, with time and grace, it is possible for the weeds in God's field to become wheat. He wants us to tread lightly on his farmland. Despite appearances to the contrary, God is still in charge.

Collect the weeds ... for burning
It seems unfathomable that someone can believe in the just judgment of God and carry on an elaborate system of seduction and abuse of power. This is where the dogma of Hell never ceases to be relevant. Not that we can claim that anyone has yet been consigned to eternal damnation, but it remains the truth that God and his love can be rejected. We can "love self to the point of hatred for God" (wasn't it Augustine who said that?).

Gather the wheat into my barn.

Heaven, total communion with God, corresponds to our nature and desire. God has granted us to learn this already, while we are still "planted" in the field, so we can live with a conscious and deliberate view to Heaven; so that we can look forward to it; taste it in anticipation and be refreshed in trials by the thought of it. That is a huge grace, and the parable ends on this high note. "God makes all things work together for the good for those who love him" (Rom 8:28). It is a call to all of us sinners to let the Word of the Lord work on us, to transform our weeds into wheat for the Kingdom.