Vatican hears testimony from McCarrick abuse accuser

The Vatican heard testimony Thursday from a man who said ex-Cardinal Theodore McCarrick sexually abused him as a child.

James Grein testified in before the judicial vicar in New York, The Associated Press reported.

His testimony joins the growing case against McCarrick for serious misconduct.

{mosads}Grein’s lawyer, Patrick Noaker, told AP that his client was proud to have shared his experience.

“He wants his church back,” Noaker said Friday. “He felt that in order to accomplish that end, he had to go in and testify here and tell them what happened, and give the church itself the chance to do the right thing.”

Grein alleged that McCarrick exposed himself to him when he was 11 and then sexually molested him for years, a more severe accusation than that of another man who said McCarrick groped him, which the church found “credible.”

McCarrick was removed from public ministry in June after those initial allegations.

He has denied any wrongdoing.

Pope Francis in October authorized a “thorough study” of Vatican archives into how McCarrick climbed ranks in the church despite allegations against him.

The Vatican has come under fire for its role in McCarrick’s tenure in the church after a 2006 letter from a top Vatican official came to light in September, revealing that the Vatican was aware of allegations of sexual misconduct against the former Cardinal.