Ex-Catholic Cardinal Pleads Not Guilty To Sexual Assault Charges

WELLESLEY, MA — Former Catholic Cardinal Theodore McCarrick, who was defrocked from the priesthood for sexual abuse, pleaded not guilty to sexually assaulting a 16-year-old boy during a wedding reception in Wellesley nearly 50 years ago in Dedham District Court Friday .

This makes McCarrick, 91, a former archbishop of Washington, D.C., the highest-ranking Catholic official in the U.S. to face criminal charges in the clergy sex abuse scandal.

McCarrick can still face charges because he is not a resident of Massachusetts and the statute of limitations does not apply.

During the brief hearing, the court entered a not guilty plea on his behalf, ordered him to stay away from the victim and have no contact with minors, and set bail at $5,000.

On June 8, 1974, McCarrick's accuser, who was 16 at the time, said he was attending his brother's wedding reception at Wellesley College when McCarrick asked his father to "have a talk" with him on his behavior and his poor attendance at church, according to the report found by the Globe. The unidentified man said McCarrick molested him while walking around the campus, and added that he was lead into a small room where he was assaulted even further, with McCarrick saying he "needed to go to confession," using his position of power to sexually assault the teenager.

McCarrick, who now lives in Missouri, previously had allegations of his behavior made public in 2018, and he was expelled from the priesthood.

When the incident happened, McCarrick was a monsignor and secretary to Cardinal Terence Cooke and lived in New York City.

The alleged victim, who is now 60, was not identified, but was represented by Mitchell Garabedian, a well-known lawyer who played a large role for sexual abuse victims from the Catholic church.