(ANSA) - Vatican City, February 18 - Pope Francis defrocked
former Washington Archbishop Cardinal Theodore McCarrick at the
weekend for the sexual abuse of minors and forcing seminarians
to sleep with him.
McCarrick, 88, is the most senior churchman to be defrocked
over sexual abuse.
The move comes ahead of a major Vatican conference on sex
abuse with bishops from all over the world from Thursday to
Sunday.
The Church is in the throes of its latest abuse crisis and
there have been allegations of cover-ups involving even the
pope.
Pope defrocks McCarrick for sex abuse
Ahead of abuse summit with world's bishops in Vatican Feb 21-24