Purify The Church

Robert McElroy

Cardinal Robert W. McElroy (June 2025)

I. Executive Summary

This report compiles negative information on Cardinal Robert W. McElroy, Archbishop of Washington, D.C. (installed March 11, 2025), focusing on actions contrary to Catholic teaching during his tenure as Bishop of San Diego (2015–2025) and beyond. Using open-source intelligence (OSINT) from property records, legal filings, media, X posts, and Vatican documents, it highlights:

II. Timeline of Key Allegations

III. Financial Irregularities

1. Nonprofit Real Estate and Funding Opacity

McElroy oversaw housing nonprofits with significant growth but limited transparency, contrary to Catholic stewardship principles (Catechism §2404). The combined market value of these holdings grew from $4.7M–$6.9M at purchase to $15.2M–$21M by 2025, a 223%–317% increase, driven primarily by Cathedral Plaza’s rise from $2.7M in 2000 to $10.0M (midpoint of $9M–$11M). Calexico Plaza, purchased for $600,000–$900,000 in 1982, reached $4.0M (midpoint of $3.2M–$4.8M), while Guadalupe Plaza grew from $1.5M in 2005 to $3.3M (midpoint of $3M–$3.6M). Specific details include:

2. Personal Financial Ties

McElroy’s dealings exceed priestly norms, violating Canon 281’s call to simplicity:

3. Bankruptcy and Asset Protection

IV. Sexual Abuse Cover-Up Allegations

McElroy’s inaction on multiple abuse cases constitutes a cover-up, breaching Canon 1386 and Catechism §2284–2285, which condemn enabling scandal:

1. Theodore McCarrick (2016)

In 2016, Richard Sipe, a renowned expert on clergy abuse, sent McElroy a detailed letter documenting Theodore McCarrick’s decades-long abuse of seminarians, supported by 12 priest and seminarian accounts. McElroy dismissed the allegations, claiming there was “no evidence,” and took no action to investigate or report McCarrick’s misconduct. This inaction allowed McCarrick to remain influential until his 2018 public exposure, when he was defrocked in 2019 for abusing minors and adults. McElroy’s failure to act delayed justice for victims and prolonged McCarrick’s harm, drawing accusations of a cover-up from conservative Catholic outlets and X users (@father_rmv, January 6, 2025). McElroy later claimed Sipe’s evidence was unverifiable, but his refusal to probe further shielded a known predator, undermining victim trust.

2. Rachel Mastrogiacomo and Father Jacob Bertrand (2014–2023)

In 2014, Rachel Mastrogiacomo reported to the San Diego Diocese that Father Jacob Bertrand subjected her to “satanic sexual abuse” during spiritual direction. Despite her detailed account, the diocese, under McElroy’s leadership from 2015, took no action to investigate or remove Bertrand, who had briefly returned to ministry in March 2015, just before McElroy’s installation. Bertrand’s abuse continued until his 2018 conviction, resulting in 10 years’ probation. Mastrogiacomo’s 2024 open letter to Pope Francis and her 2025 protest at McElroy’s D.C. installation accused him of ignoring her pleas, enabling Bertrand’s predation. SNAP’s Joelle Casteix and X users (@MLJHaynes, March 2025) condemned McElroy’s inaction as a deliberate cover-up, prioritizing Church image over victim safety. The diocese claimed no credible allegations existed post-2002, but McElroy’s failure to address Mastrogiacomo’s report perpetuated harm.

3. Father Adam Park (2025)

In early 2025, Father Lawrence Briese confronted Cardinal Wilton Gregory over Father Adam Park’s continued ministry in Washington, D.C., despite allegations of sexual predation and homosexual misconduct. McElroy, newly installed as archbishop, ordered Briese’s medical retirement, leaving him with an inadequate salary compared to the $4M package given to retired Cardinal Donald Wuerl. This swift action against a whistleblower, while Park remained in ministry, suggests McElroy sought to silence critics and protect accused clergy. X users (@FatherAltman, March 14, 2025) and conservative media accused McElroy of retaliating to cover up Park’s misconduct, though no public response from McElroy exists, leaving the allegations unrefuted.

4. Bishops Brom and Mahony (2016)

Sipe’s 2016 letter to McElroy also alleged sexual misconduct by Bishop Robert Brom and cover-ups by Cardinal Roger Mahony, both prominent California prelates. McElroy ignored these claims, neither investigating nor escalating them to Vatican authorities. Brom and Mahony faced no consequences under McElroy’s watch, allowing their influence to persist unchecked. Conservative Catholic outlets criticized McElroy’s inaction as part of a broader pattern of shielding high-ranking clerics, enabling systemic abuse to continue unaddressed.

V. Theological Deviations

McElroy’s public statements promote views that deviate from Catholic moral teaching, contradicting Catechism §2357 and 1 Corinthians 6:9–10, which condemn homosexual acts and grave sins:

1. LGBTQ+ Inclusion (2023)

On January 24, 2023, McElroy published an essay in America Magazine arguing that the Church should not distinguish between homosexual “orientation and activity,” claiming such a distinction divides the LGBTQ+ community. He described anti-LGBTQ+ attitudes as a “demonic mystery of evil,” implying traditional Catholic teachings on chastity are flawed. This stance directly opposes Catechism §2357, which calls homosexual acts “intrinsically disordered” and demands chastity. McElroy’s refusal to uphold this doctrine, instead advocating for unqualified inclusion, led Bishop Thomas Paprocki to warn of “automatic excommunication” for denying sexual morality teachings. X users (@KalchikRev, June 10, 2025) branded McElroy a “modernist heretic,” accusing him of undermining Church doctrine to align with secular culture.

2. Eucharistic Coherence (2005–2023)

In a 2005 essay and a March 2, 2023, America Magazine article, McElroy opposed denying Communion to sinners, including pro-choice politicians and active homosexuals, arguing that “the Eucharist is medicine for sinners, not a reward for the perfect.” He further claimed, “The moral tradition that all sexual sins are grave matter…yields a definition of sin jarringly inconsistent with the wider tradition of Catholic moral teaching,” suggesting most sexual sins are venial. This contradicts Catechism §1855, which classifies grave sins (e.g., homosexuality, abortion) as mortal, and §1415, which requires a state of grace for Communion. McElroy’s persistent advocacy for unrestricted Eucharistic access, despite warnings from peers, fuels accusations of heresy and weakens Catholic sacramental discipline.

VI. Other Controversies

VII. Public Sentiment

VIII. Comparative Context

XI. Sources

Sources are categorized, hyperlinked, and include access dates and bias notes. All are publicly accessible unless noted.

Primary Records

Vatican and Canonical Sources

Media Reports

X Posts

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