A letter dated Oct. 11, 2006 from Archbishop Leonardo Sandri, then substitute for the Vatican Secretary of State, to Father Boniface Ramsey had written to Archbishop Gabriel Montalvo, Vatican nuncio to the United States, warning about sexual abuse committed by Archbishop  Theodore  E. McCarrick.  The letter, scanned and released by Father Ramsey to Catholic News Service Sept. 7, contains past remarks by Father Ramsey and also contains elements of the Aug. 36 testimony by Archbishop Carlo Vigano, former nuncio to the the United States.  (CNS)  Photo:  courtesy of  Father Ramsey

VATICAN CITY (CNS)  A top official from the Vatican Secretary of State acknowledged allegations made by a New York priest in 2000 concerning Archbishop Theodore E. McCarrick, according to a letter obtained by Catholic News Service.

Father Boniface Ramsey, pastor of St. Joseph’s Church Yorkville in New York City, told CNS Sept 7 that he received the letter dated October 11, 2006, from then Archbishop Leonardo Sandri, the former Vatican substitute for general affairs, asking for information regarding a priest of the Archdiocese of Newark who studied at Immaculate Conception Seminary and was being vetted for a post at a Vatican office.  He made the letter available to CNS.

Then Archbishop Sandri wrote to Father Ramsey:  “I ask with particular reference to the serious matters involving some of the students of the Immaculate Conception Seminary, which in November 2000 you were good enough to bring confidentially to the attention of the then  Apoostolic Nuncio of the United States, the late Archbishop Gabriel Montalvo”

Father Ramsey had been on the faculty of the seminary from 1986 to 1996 and had sent a letter in 2000 to Archbishop Montalvo informing him of complaints he heard from seminarians who were studying at the seminary, located in South Orange, N.J.

In the lettter, Father Ramsey told CNS ” I complained about McCarricks relationships with seminarians and the whole business with sleeping with  seminarians and all of that, the whole business that everyone knows about” Father Ramsey said.

Father Ramsey said he assumed the reason the letter from then Archbishop Sandri, who is now a Cardinal and prefect of the Congregation for Eastern Churches, only mentioned “serious matters involving seminarians” and not Archbishops behaviour was because accusations against the former cardinal were “too sensitive”

My letter November 22, 2200, was about McCarrick and it wasn’t accusing seminarians of anything.  It was accusing McCarrick.

While Father Ramsey has  said he never received a formal response to the letter he sent in 2000, he told CNS he was certain the letter had been received because of the note he got from then-Archbishop Sandri in 2006 acknowledging the allegations he had raised in 2000.

The 2006 letter not only confirms remarks made by Father Ramsey, but also elements of a document written by Archbishop Carlo Maria Vigano, who served as nuncio to the United States from 2011 to 2016.

In an 11 page statement published Aug. 16, Archbishop Vigano accused Church officials, including Pope Francis, of failing to act on accusations of sexual abuse, as well as abuse of conscience and power by now Archbishop McCarrick.

Archbishop Vignano stated that the Vatican was informed as early as 2000 … when he was an official at the Secretary of State … of allegations that Archbishop McCarrick shared his bed with seminarians.  Archbishop Vigano said the Vatican heard the allegation from the U.S. nuncios at the Archbishop Montalvo, who served from 1998 to 20005 and Archbishop Pietro Sambi, who served from 2995-2011

In late June, then Cardinal McCarrick, the 88 year old retired archbishop of Washington said he would no long exercise any public ministry “in obedience to the Vatican after an allegation he abused a teenager 47 years ago in the Archdiocese of New York was found credible.  The then Cardinal has said he is innocent

Since then, several former seminarians have claimed that the then cardinal would invite groups of then to a beach house and insist individual members of the groups share a bed with him.

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