He and the pope have long been on opposite ideological sides, with the pope more a pastor and Vigano more a cultural warrior. He said Pope Benedict XVI eventually sanctioned McCarrick in 2009 or 2010 to a lifetime of penance and prayer, but that Francis subsequently rehabilitated him. Francis accepted McCarrick’s resignation as cardinal last month, after a U.S. church investigation determined that an accusation he had sexually abused a minor was credible. He said Francis asked him about McCarrick when they met on June 23, 2013, at the Vatican’s Santa Marta hotel where the pope lives, three months after Francis was elected pope. Brendan Moran via Getty Images Pope Francis arrives prior to the commencement of the closing mass of his Ireland visit at the Phoenix Park in Dublin on Sunday.

Source: Huffington Post August 26, 2018 14:58 UTC