Pope accepts cardinal’s resignation following sex abuse scandal

Cardinal Archbishop Emeritus Theodore McCarrick waves to fellow bishops as he attends the midday prayer service at the Cathedral of St. Matthews in Washington September 23, 2015. [File, Reuters]

Pope Francis on Saturday accepted the resignation as a cardinal of Theodore McCarrick, the former archbishop of Washington, D.C. and one of the U.S. Catholic Church’s most prominent figures, who has been at the center of allegations of sex abuse with minors and young seminarians.

McCarrick was the first cardinal to lose his red hat in living memory. The scandal surrounding him has stunned the American Church because he was a widely respected leader for decades and was a confidant of popes and presidents.