WATCH: Catholics protest Cardinal McElroy’s installation in DC, alleged abuse cover-up
LifeSite journalist Doug Mainwaring interviewed several protesters outside the installation Mass of heterodox Cardinal Robert McElroy as the new archbishop of Washington, D.C., on Tuesday.
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Thu Mar 13, 2025 - 9:56 am EDT
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WASHINGTON, D.C. (LifeSiteNews) — LifeSite journalist Doug Mainwaring interviewed several protesters outside the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception at the installation of heterodox Cardinal Robert McElroy as the new archbishop of Washington, D.C., on Tuesday. They discussed McElroy’s alleged history of covering up sexual abuse, the need for the Trump administration to launch a RICO investigation into the USCCB, and more.
‘Covered up my rape’
Mainwaring first spoke to Rachel Mastrogiacomo, a survivor of ritual sexual abuse perpetrated by then-Fr. Jacob Bertrand, formerly incardinated in the Diocese of San Diego, where McElroy previously served as bishop.
“(Fr. Jacob Bertrand) eventually was found guilty in criminal court of this crime, and Cardinal McElroy was complicit in covering up my ritual rape. He was criminally complicit!” she said.
A bit later, Mastrogiacomo recalled confronting Cardinal Blase Cupich of Chicago on the Basilica steps before the installation Mass.
“It must have been the Holy Ghost or the Mother of God who just compelled me to rush to (Cupich) and to look him in the eye,” she said. “And I said who I was, ‘My name is Rachel Mastrogiacomo,’ and I said, ‘Pray for the purification of the Church.’”
“And Cardinal Cupich looked at me and said, ‘The Church is pure,’ and he turned away and started to walk and ignored me, and I said, ‘Cardinal McElroy covered up my rape, he was criminally complicit, and you know it! He covered up my satanic ritual abuse, and you know it!’” she added.
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RICO investigation into the USCCB
Mainwaring then spoke to moral theologian Dr. Janet Smith about a letter to Vice President J.D. Vance she recently signed, urging the launch of a RICO investigation into the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops’ (USCCB) use of $100 million in government funds to resettle migrants and refugees, and the adoption of advocacy laws that will better protect abuse victims.
“We expect much better from our Church, and if we have to turn to the government to get our Church to live up to Jesus’ ideals, we’re going to do it,” Smith said.
Mastrogiacomo added that while they hate to ask the government to help clean up the Church, it’s unfortunately necessary because the Church hierarchy won’t help.
“I first went to Holy Mother Church in the beginning to try to find some justice for what happened to me, but it was covered up,” she said. “I was forced to go to the police, and so we really need some accountability and transparency.”
Enemies within the Church
A bit later, Smith highlighted that Catholics can’t rely on bishops to fix these issues because they themselves are the problem.
“The only people that can clean up the problem are the bishops, but the bishops are the problem, so we’re stuck. … So we need something that will really blow everything wide open,” she said.
Michael Hichborn, president of the Lepanto Institute, agreed and urged the faithful to turn to Our Lady to fix the Church instead of bishops or politicians.
“I think that right now we are in a very obvious situation of juxtaposition where the Church is being forced to recognize the enemies within,” he said.
“And the only thing that is going to bring about any kind of lasting peace is to follow the plan that Our Lady gave us at Fatima,” he added. “We’ve got to make the five first Saturdays; we should all be praying our Rosaries daily for the conversion of Russia, in reparation for sins, specifically the sins committed by clerics in the Church.”
