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US cardinal Theodore McCarrick will probably be expelled from the priesthood in the coming weeks on charges against him, including child sexual abuse, according to two Vatican sources.
Last July, McCarrick became the first Catholic prelate in nearly 100 years to lose his cardinal title. The charges against him date back several decades, when he was still among the highest places in the hierarchy of the Catholic Church.
McCarrick, 88, has publicly responded to only one of the charges, claiming he has "absolutely no memory" of an alleged sexual abuse case of a child 16 years ago more than 50 years ago.
Both the civil lawyer of McCarrick and the canon law expert who represented him did not want to be interviewed. The Vatican said that a "canonical process" would be carried forward and that there would be no declarations until its conclusion.
Pope Francis, who has the final word on the case, wants the trial to end before the leaders of the Catholic Church meet in the Vatican from 21 to 24 February to address the global crisis of sexual abuse, said three sources.
The meeting offers Francisco the opportunity to respond to the criticisms that have made him a victim of abuse that has hesitated to manage the crisis and that has not done enough to make the bishops responsible.
"(McCarrick's departure) would be like a trophy to show that the Pope is serious about dealing with this," said Kurt Martens, professor of Canon Law at Catholic University of America. "It is the process that seems to be developing".
McCarrick became one of the most powerful leaders of the Catholic Church as archbishop of Washington between 2001 and 2006. When the Pope accepted his resignation as a cardinal in July, he ordered him not to participate in public ministry and to live in solitude, prayer and penance.
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