Disgraced Cardinal McCarrick Blames Conservatives for the Dozens of ‘Credible’ Sexual Assault Allegations Against Him

Disgraced former Cardinal Theodore McCarrick blamed conservatives in an interview with Slate for the dozens of “credible” accusations of sexual assault he has been accused of.

The 89-year-old defrocked McCarrick, who once socialized with popes, presidents and world leaders, currently resides in a small friary in Victoria, Kansas. He has not spoken publicly for over a year, according to Slate.

“I’m not as bad as they paint me,” McCarrick said in an interview with Slate’s Ruth Graham published Tuesday. “I do not believe that I did the things that they accused me of.”

The Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith declared McCarrick guilty in February of “solicitation in the Sacrament of Confession, and sins against the Sixth Commandment with minors and with adults, with the aggravating factor of the abuse of power,” according to a Vatican statement. Pope Francis also defrocked him.

McCarrick referred to “enemies” who fabricated accusations against him, including conservative Archbishop Carlo Maria Viganò. McCarrick said Viganò spoke out against him as “a representative of the far right.”….