New York bishop resigns after admitting affairs

Bishop James F. McCarthy admitted to having several affairs with women.

NEW YORK (CNN) -- Cardinal Edward Egan has accepted the resignation of an auxiliary bishop after he admitted to "a number of affairs with women over several years," the Archdiocese of New York announced.

In a written statement, James F. McCarthy said one relationship began when the woman involved was 21.

Archdiocese spokesman Joseph Zwilling said McCarthy's resignation came after the church received a letter about the affairs Saturday. In a phone interview, Zwilling declined to say whether the archdiocese knows who wrote the letter.

McCarthy, 59, is one of two bishops to resign this week as U.S. Roman Catholic bishops gather in Dallas, Texas, to adopt a national policy for disciplining clergymen accused of sexually abusing children.

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The Vatican said Tuesday it had accepted the resignation of Bishop J. Kendrick Williams, 65, of Lexington, Kentucky, who had been accused in sex abuse cases. Williams denied the allegations but said he resigned because the effort to fight the accusations would take too much time from his work.

McCarthy was pastor of St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Parish in Shrub Oak, New York, just north of New York City. He also was auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of New York, assisting Egan with some duties, a parish spokeswoman said. He did not head a diocese.

Zwilling declined to detail the contents of the accusatory letter. But he said the archdiocese is investigating the matter. In the meantime, McCarthy "will not function as a priest," Zwilling said.

"It is not known if the affairs raise any legal issues, but the archdiocese will cooperate with the district attorney if there is an investigation," Zwilling said in a written statement. He said there have been no complaints about McCarthy's behavior since he was ordained in 1968.

A spokeswoman for the Westchester County district attorney's office said she could not say if the matter was under investigation.

Law enforcement officials were not aware of any allegations against McCarthy, one official said.

Bishop: 'I have grievously sinned'

In his written statement, McCarthy expressed remorse.

"For the first two decades of my priesthood, I have struggled to live a chaste, celibate life. To my humiliation and shame, I was not always successful," McCarthy wrote. "I have grievously sinned and long ago asked for the Lord's forgiveness.

"I acknowledge that I had an improper relationship with a woman that included sexual contact that began when she was approximately 21 years old. I also acknowledge that I had improper sexual contact with other women.

"For these immoral acts I ask for forgiveness and offer an apology from my soul to all those I have caused pain. ... But it is to those women with whom I had sexual contact that I must beg their forgiveness."

The archdiocese quoted Egan as expressing "my personal care and concern for all involved in this situation, in particular any woman and their families who may have been hurt and Bishop McCarthy as well."

McCarthy's first assignment was at St. Denis', where he served the Parish for Sylvan Lake, New York, Zwilling said. In 1976, McCarthy moved to St. Benedict's Parish in the Bronx, where he served for eight years. McCarthy was Cardinal John O'Connor's secretary for 12 years, and he became pastor at St. Elizabeth in 1996.

It was not necessary for the Vatican to accept McCarthy's resignation for it to take effect, a spokesman for the archdiocese said.

Two other bishops have resigned this year amid allegations of sexual misconduct.

Bishop Anthony J. O'Connell resigned in March from the Diocese of Palm Beach, Florida, after admitting he sexually abused a former seminarian in the 1970s.

In May, Pope John Paul II accepted the resignation of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Archbishop Rembert Weakland amid reports that he sexually assaulted a former Marquette University graduate student. Weakland denied abusing anyone but acknowledged a settlement agreement with the former student.