Vatican faults many for McCarrick’s rise but spares Pope as report released

Theodore McCarrick was the subject of a Vatican investigation (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky, File)

A Vatican investigation into ex-cardinal Theodore McCarrick has found that a series of bishops, cardinals and popes downplayed or dismissed reports that he slept with seminarians.

The investigation also determined that Pope Francis merely continued his predecessors’ handling of McCarrick until a former altar boy alleged abuse.