Church officials say Cardinal Theodore McCarrick, the retired archbishop of Washington who also served as the Archbishop of Newark and the founding Bishop of Metuchen, is alleged to have sexually abused a minor 47 years ago.
The alleged abuse occurred when McCarrick was a priest in the Archdiocese of New York. McCarrick has agreed to step down despite maintaining his innocence.
The Cardinal says he has no recollection of the reported abuse, but he’s sorry for the pain the person who brought the charges has gone through.
Church officials called the allegations "credible and substantiated". McCarrick is the believed to be the first cardinal to step down from active ministry for alleged sexual abusing a minor.