The cardinal said he was notified of the Pope’s decision by a letter from the apostolic nuncio in the United States.
As required under canon law, Cardinal McCarrick had offered his resignation on his 75th birthday, July 7.
«I accept the Holy Father’s decision with gratitude and confidence,» Cardinal McCarrick said. He announced the news Monday to a gathering of priests in Washington.
Cardinal McCarrick has been a priest for 47 years and a bishop for 28. Originally ordained for the Archdiocese of New York, he served as the first bishop of Metuchen, in New Jersey, and as archbishop of Newark. In January 2001, he succeeded 80-year-old Cardinal James Hickey as archbishop of Washington.
