Washington D.C., Jul 30, 2006 / 22:00 pm
Former Archbishop of Washington, Cardinal Theodore McCarrick, is attempting to make clear his faithfulness to Catholic doctrine. In a letter published exclusively by Commonweal, McCarrick said that its important to, "set the record straight," in regards to questions George Weigel recently raised about his view of moderation and the faith.
Weigel, the best selling author of several books, including an authorized biography of Pope John Paul II, and one of the country’s leading "Vatican insiders," recently focused his weekly Denver Catholic Register column on comments repeatedly made by McCarrick regarding the importance of "being in the middle," as a priest or bishop.
Weigel quoted McCarrick in a National Public Radio interview as saying, "the job of a priest always forces you to the middle…We’ve got to be in the middle so that we don’t let those on the left or right get lost." The question, Weigel said, is whether "always" includes matters of faith and morals.
McCarrick said in his Commonweal letter that he would typically let such questions go by unaddressed, however he felt it necessary to speak now in order to make clear his, "uncompromising commitment to the doctrine of our Faith."