In a first, US cardinal Theodore McCarrick defrocked for sex abuse

Vatican City: Pope Francis has defrocked a former cardinal in a first for the Roman Catholic church over accusations American Theodore McCarrick sexually abused a teenager 50 years ago, a Vatican statement said on Saturday.

McCarrick, 88, who resigned from the Vatican’s College of Cardinals in July, is the first cardinal ever to be defrocked for sex abuse.

He was found guilty in January by a Vatican court for sexually abusing a teenager, a decision confirmed by the Pope in February, with “no further recourse”, according to the statement. It said McCarrick was guilty of “sins against the Sixth Commandment with minors and with adults, with the aggravating factor of the abuse of power”.

The announcement marks a spectacular fall from grace for the once influential Cardinal ahead of a Vatican conference for bishops from February 21-24 to discuss protecting children in the Church.