Former cardinal Theodore McCarrick charged with sexual assault in Wisconsin

Former cardinal Theodore McCarrick has been criminally charged with fourth-degree sexual assault in Wisconsin for an incident that allegedly occurred in April 1977. McCarrick, 92, was <a href="https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/40583/mccarrick-laicized-by-pope-francis" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">laicised by Pope Francis in 2019</a> after a Vatican investigation found him guilty of sexually abusing minors and adults. He is currently being criminally charged in Massachusetts for sexually abusing a minor, an accusation he denies. The Wisconsin Department of Justice in an April 16&nbsp;<a href="https://www.doj.state.wi.us/news-releases/former-cardinal-theodore-mccarrick-charged-4th-degree-sexual-assault-following-report" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">press release</a>&nbsp;said that the complaint alleges that McCarrick serially sexually abused the victim over an unspecified period of time.&nbsp; The incident that McCarrick is criminally charged with allegedly occurred “at a Geneva Lake residence” in which McCarrick is accused of “fondling of the victim’s genitals”, the press release said. Geneva Lake, which is located in Walworth County, is in southern Wisconsin, about an hour and 20-minute drive south from the city of Madison. The press release said that the alleged incident was reported to the Wisconsin Attorney General’s Clergy and Faith Leader Abuse initiative, <a href="https://supportsurvivors.widoj.gov/faqs" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">which aims to</a> “provide victims and survivors with an independent and thorough review of the sexual abuse committed by clergy and faith leaders in Wisconsin, no matter when that abuse occurred”. The criminal complaint was not immediately available at the time of the Department of Justice’s announcement.&nbsp; The case is being prosecuted by Walworth County District Attorney Zeke Wiedenfeld. <em>This is a developing story.</em> <em>(Former Cardinal Theodore McCarrick leaves the Dedham courthouse after pleading not guilty during his first appearance for sexual assault charges on on September 3, 2021 in Dedham, Massachusetts. (Photo by Scott Eisen/Getty Images)</em>