What did the McCarrick Report reveal about Pope John Paul II’s response to abuse allegations?

The 2020 McCarrick Report revealed that Pope John Paul II was aware of allegations regarding Theodore McCarrick but was influenced by McCarrick’s denials and their personal friendship.1

Despite receiving a warning in 1999 from Cardinal John Joseph O’Connor that McCarrick allegedly invited seminarians to sleep with him, John Paul II proceeded to appoint him archbishop of Washington and elevated him to cardinal in 2001. The report further noted that John Paul II’s advisers had been provided with inaccurate and incomplete information by three U.S. bishops from New Jersey dioceses, which contributed to the failure to properly address the misconduct.21

The Catholic Church maintains a fundamental moral obligation to protect the vulnerable and ensure accountability for abuse. The findings of the report highlight significant institutional failures in how these allegations were handled at the highest levels of the church hierarchy.2