McCarrick case suspended in Wisconsin
Dear friends,
You may have heard the news this week: the criminal case against now-defrocked Cardinal Theodore McCarrick has been suspended in Wisconsin. The sexual assault charge against McCarrick was the first charge against a Catholic clergy member in Attorney General Kaul's statewide investigation. This case in Walworth County, Wisconsin was the only remaining criminal charge against McCarrick.
Cardinal McCarrick, at one time one of the U.S. Catholic Church's most powerful officials, acted as a spokesperson for the U.S. bishops following the Boston Globe's Spotlight investigation in 2002. He was laicized in 2019, a year after he was publicly accused of sexually assaulting teenage boys in addition to decades of reported coercive and abusive behavior toward priests and seminarians. Internal investigations and reports following McCarrick's downfall revealed that Catholic officials - including bishops, cardinals, and popes - all participated in the enabling of McCarrick's sexual violence for decades.
(L) The courtroom where McCarrick's status hearing took place in Walworth County
(R) Calendar and summary of case against McCarrick
In his career, McCarrick had frequently been in the company of popes, presidents, and Supreme Court justices. But on Wednesday afternoon, McCarrick was waiting on the phone before a courtroom that was nearly empty. Though Judge David M. Reddy had previously determined McCarrick would appear by phone, the judge reversed his position, deeming the former cardinal's presence unnecessary.
Our hearts break for the victim who had previously said, "I need to hear him speak because I need to hear his voice different from the voice I know that he has."
Though this particular case has reached a dead end, the global case against McCarrick continues. The accomplices who shielded McCarrick and enabled his abuse are still in positions to continue covering up abuse and obstructing the course of justice.
This is why Attorney General Kaul must seek all the available evidence on McCarrick's crime in Walworth County. His continued investigation has the power to show McCarrick's victim and every other victim that he is keeping his promise to "follow the evidence wherever it leads."
You can read the full text of our press release below.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: January 10, 2024
McCarrick case suspended in Wisconsin; AG Kaul continues investigation
Wisconsin AG Kaul must demand McCarrick file from Vatican
On Wednesday afternoon, a criminal case against now-defrocked Cardinal Theodore McCarrick was suspended in Walworth County. Last April, Walworth County District Attorney Zeke Wiedenfeld charged McCarrick with fourth-degree sexual assault following a report made in Wisconsin Attorney General Josh Kaul’s statewide clergy abuse investigation. The charges stemmed from a 1977 assault against an 18-year-old victim that took place on Geneva Lake. The victim said McCarrick began assaulting him when he was 11-years-old, including during confession, family weddings, and family holidays.
Though not identified in the criminal complaint, James Grein came forward as the victim in the case to FOX6 News last April. There is another adult male included in the Walworth County criminal complaint. He is not named, however, in December, Grein identified this man to the Catholic News Agency as Cardinal Joseph Bernardin, the late Archbishop of Chicago. Grein said of the charges, “It was important to hear that somebody else believed me, and they were going to go forward with the charges, and it gave me great relief.”
Last month, the Washington Post reported that the Wisconsin case against McCarrick "appears to be dead" after Walworth County District Attorney Zeke Wiedenfeld told Judge David M. Reddy that his office would not challenge the incompetency assessment brought by an expert hired by prosecutors to examine McCarrick. This same expert provided an assessment that led to the dismissal of criminal charges against McCarrick in a Massachusetts court last August.
In a November 22nd hearing in Walworth County, it was determined that McCarrick would appear by phone at Wednesday afternoon’s status conference. Though McCarrick was waiting on the phone, Judge David M. Reddy appeared to reverse his previous decision, saying it “wasn’t necessary.”
Because the state declined to move for a dismissal of the charge against McCarrick, the case has been effectively suspended, and McCarrick has been released from bond. A hearing has been scheduled for December 27th, 2024 at 3:00pm in Walworth County. In this period, the state has the option to move for a reevaluation of McCarrick’s competency.
The case in Walworth County is the only remaining criminal charge against Cardinal McCarrick.
Peter Isely, Program Director of Nate’s Mission, said the following, “The court’s misdemeanor charge does not represent at all the full extent of the years-long abuse suffered by the victim, but it was the only charge that could be brought in Wisconsin under state law at the time. But it at least would bring McCarrick to some kind of justice. For a victim to see his offender before a judge - even if that appearance is by phone - it can be a day of emancipation and liberation from carrying the awful burden of shame and secrecy that are an inevitable consequence of these crimes. Inexplicably, Judge Reddy did not give the victim that day.”
In December, Grein stated “I need to hear him speak because I need to hear his voice different from the voice that I know that he has.”
The global case against McCarrick is not finished, because his accomplices have yet to be brought to justice for the decades-long cover-up and enabling of his abuse. Among these accomplices are three popes and several senior officials of the U.S. Catholic hierarchy.
Sarah Pearson, Deputy Director of Nate’s Mission, said, “Since his 2019 lifting of papal secrecy, Pope Francis has not turned over any evidence from the extensive Vatican archive to U.S. justice officials who are currently investigating McCarrick’s crimes. Nor has he required U.S. bishops to cooperate with state investigations by sharing criminal evidence in their possession. Wisconsin Attorney General Josh Kaul needs this evidence about McCarrick in his ongoing investigation of clergy sexual abuse.”
Nate's Mission still needs your help to continue our work for survivors in Wisconsin. If you support our mission, we kindly ask you to make a donation.
With gratitude,
The Nate’s Mission Team