Dear Pope Francis, Bishops, Attorneys General, the Met, University Presidents, Telephone Carriers, Part 6

Bishops, Attorneys General, the Met, University Presidents, Businesses: investigation into Opus Dei prelature & the Washington, DC Archdiocese & Building the Electronic and Paper Trail documentation

The Pope Francis Letters, a 7 Part Series+++

Letter 6A, Catholic Bishops

September 29, 2021

Feast day of Saints Michael, Raphael, and Gabriel

San Damiano Retreat Center, Virginia

• Cardinal Vincent Gerard Nichols, Diocese of Westminster, London England Vaughan House, 46 Francis Street, London SW1P 1QN

• Most Reverend David Michael O’Connell, Trenton, New Jersey (& Princeton), 701 Lawrenceville Road, Trenton, NJ 08648/phone: 609.406.7400

• Bishop Bishop Oscar Cantú San Jose, CA (& Menlo Park) 1150 North First St. Suite 100 San Jose, CA 95112/phone: 408.083.0100

• Cardinal Blase J. Cupich, Archdiocese of Chicago, 835 North Rush Street, Chicago, IL 60611-2030/phone: 312.534.8200

Dear Bishops,

I am formally requesting, with the blessing of Pope Francis, that you investigate Opus Dei as to its actions in your respective diocese from 2003 onward regarding the man C John McCloskey, a priest with the group Opus Dei using the purview the Pope Francis' Apostolic Letter Vos Estis Lux Mundi¹

By your own financial and forensic investigation with your team I ask you to research and publish whether the Opus Dei prelature said McCloskey could operate with full priestly faculties in your diocese and churches.

If he did so — when he did so — was he giving confession to women, lady, and girl parishioners.

I ask because in 2003 I had reported in the strongest terms that McCloskey had a problem with molestation and bullying in the confessional with one woman and probably others — to the Washington, DC Archdiocese – run by then Theodore Edgar McCarrick — laicized priest and former cardinal of said diocese who himself had a serial sexual predation problem.

In my phone conversations in 2002/3- three of them — I had made it clear that that the McCloskey, a priest with Opus Dei had molested in the confessional on multiple occasions a young woman who was my former colleague; that he was ill spiritually and morally in the most profound manner; that he needed to get psychological help and fraternal correction; and that there were other women he’d probably molested.

By 2018 I learned he’d not been fraternally corrected nor seriously disciplined with consequence.

Rather I had seen video of this priest at very large priestly ordinations in Kansas city, Kansas and Missouri - where, interestingly, he appeared to be ducking from the recording cameras; he’d been lionized and championed in newspaper articles.²

The material point is that he needed fraternal correction. He did not get it.

The other material point is that his higher ups, his prelature did not provide the fraternal correction. 

Fail.

I am asking that you -despite the myriad of people you are trying to help and knowing that you nor I are to take up the job of Opus Dei which they failed to do in 2003 and again in 2019 — despite all the work already on your plate, yes, I am asking that you investigate how Opus Dei operated in your diocese and give a report to our beloved Papem Francis.

Thank you. 

cheers and God bless,

Carol Therese Young

Please continue to read Part 7 of 7, The Pope Francis Letters

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The Pope Francis Letters, a 7 Part Series+++

Letter 6b, Attorneys General & The Met

September 29, 2021, Feast Day of Saints Gabriel, Michael, and Raphael,

San Damiano Retreat Center, Arlington, Virginia

Attorney General Matthew J. Platkin New Jersey Office of Attorney General Dept. of Law & Public Safety PO Box 080 Trenton, NJ 08625-0080

Attorney General Kwame Raoul Illinois Office of Attorney General 100 West Randolph Street Chicago, IL 60601 phone: 312. 814.3000

Attorney General Brian L. Schwalb Washington, DC Office of Attorney General 400 6th Street, NW Washington, DC 20001 phone: 202.727.3400

Attorney General Rob Bonta California Office of Attorney General Department of Justice Attn: Public Inquiry Unit P.O. Box 944255 Sacramento, CA 94244-2550

Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley Police of the Metropolis (Met) New Scotland Yard Victoria Embankment London, England SW1A 2JL

To Whom It May Concern,

In early 2003 I reported by phone and in the strongest terms to the Opus Dei prelature via the Washington Archdiocese of the Holy Roman Catholic Church run by McCarrick³ that a priest by the name of C John McCloskey had serious emotional and/or psychological problems.

This Opus Dei priest operating at the Catholic Information Center, had been repeatedly molesting a young woman in the confessional. 

In the Roman Catholic Church that is grounds for immediate laicization.  While Church canon law does not affect how you proceed by secular legal standards, it does shed some light on how seriously we Catholics, and our current Pope, take the role of priest.⁴   

In 2002/3 the young woman told the priest that I had told her to report him to the Archdiocese – or I would—and his reaction was to threaten me, alluding to his power and title, through her and then to recommend she break off the friendship. 

Please refer to the attached letters. 

In multiple phone calls to the Washington Archdiocese I explained that the priest, who had threatened me through the woman, had serious psychological problems and needed to be taken out of priestly commission. 

I indicated in the strongest terms that he needed severe fraternal correction. 

To my knowledge, Opus Dei, did not follow up on that report. 

Rather, Opus Dei from 2003 onward sent the individual to London, England; Chicago, Illinois; and Menlo Park, California; and Northern Virginia – without accountability, without fraternal correction, without laicization. 

I had given at least 3 phone calls to the Washington Archdiocese requesting that they help the priest, protect the woman who I knew he had harmed, and prevent others from harm.  I explained that I thought he had a severe emotional and mental health issue, and that it was likely he had hurt other vulnerable women as well. 

That was in 2003.  In 2018, I learned that I was 100% correct.  He had hurt others.    

Today the Roman Catholic Church recognizes vos estis lux mundi.⁵

There is a story that while at Princeton University one young lady ran from his confessional.  I know from two of his victims he preyed on them in the confessional.

Please open an investigation in your respective jurisdictions into the Opus Dei organization regarding C John McCloskey, a priest with their organization. 

Within the Roman Catholic Church, I have asked Wilton Cardinal Gregory to recommend to Pope Francis that Opus Dei be put under legal and financial conservatorship with an orthodox women’s religious order of sisters while the Cardinal directs an investigation into the group. 

I recommended to him three women’s orders⁶ that could help

My heart is troubled in asking a secular authority to investigate my Catholic Church, especially when Americans’ freedoms of conscience, assembly, and speech are under attack. 

However, it is with great hope that your investigation will bring accountability into Opus Dei’s prelature and leadership and your contact with their individual members who are persons of goodwill, holiness, and hard work will bring inspiration to you. 

With fervent hope I pray that in your investigations you will meet in your respective diocese Catholics who believe in Christ, live the Gospel, and love neighbor as self.

By the good character, kindness, and charitable deeds of these men and women I hope you learn that we Catholics believe John 3:16— that Christ came into the world to save it, not condemn it.

In writing this letter I do not condemn my Catholic brothers in the Opus Dei prelature. 

Rather, I seek to provide for them what they did not provide for CJ McCloskey:  fraternal correction in truth and love.    

May God have mercy on us all. 

pax Christi, ave Maria,

Carol Therese Young

Please continue to read Part 7 of 7, The Pope Francis Letters

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The Pope Francis Letters, a 7 Part Series+++

Letter 6C, The University Presidents

President Peter Kilpatrick. Office of the President The Catholic University of America 620 Michigan Ave., N.E. Washington, DC 20064

Ellen M. Granberg, Office of the President The George Washington University 1918 F Street, NW Washington, DC 20052 Phone: 202-994-6500

Re: recovery of IEPS emails and GSEHD land-line data

Dear President Peter Kilpatrick & Ellen M. Granberg,

I write to request that as president of The Catholic University of America Mr. Kilpatrick that you convey in the strongest terms to your counterpart Ellen M. Granberg President of The George Washington University (GWU), of which I am a happy alumnus and happy former employee, her kind cooperation in my request to obtain professional emails and phone records of outgoing calls to the Washington, DC Roman Catholic Archdiocese to the GWU Institute of Education Policy Studies (IEPS) where I worked as a researcher from 2002 – 2003.   

Please see the enclosed letters about the nature of my request. These letters are called The Pope Francis Letters.

While working at IEPS I learned from a young woman she had been molested by CJ McCloskey, an Opus Dei priest, who had been working at The Catholic Information Center in late 2002 and early.  I urged her not to see him, to cease all contact, because “he was in peril of losing his soul and was very sick,” and said, “if you don’t go to the Archdiocese, I will.”  

Throughout my tenure at The George Washington University, from 2002-2003 I had also used my professional email to talk to this (former) colleague. I wonder if there is a record, tape, or electronic data print of those emails from the IEPS, which was then a think tank that was part of GSEHD.

He gave a veiled threat through her to me, “Who is she?  Does she know who I am? Does she know what I do?”

I replied, “You tell him I am praying and fasting for his soul – and he’s threatening me?  You tell him I am not afraid that I’m from a large blended Christian Catholic family of 13 kids, just 1 set of cousins has 15 children, some of them lawyers, my uncle is chief counsel of Proctor & Gamble, 1 brother works for the IRS, another brother has argued briefs before the Supreme Court, my dad was a Notre Dame lawyer who ran for Congress.  I’m lawyered up on every branch of my family tree. I am not afraid.”

He told her to end the friendship.  She did. I never spoke to her again until 2018. 

Before entering The Catholic University of America for graduate school in 2003, I notified the Washington Archdiocese in multiple phone calls that a priest working in their jurisdiction had serious mental problems and needed help.

To me his threats were evidence of how far he’d gone afield – that he needed to be put out of commission.  This was 2003 mere months after the Boston priest scandal.

16 years later upon returning to Washington, DC I realized that I’d reported this man to McCarrick’s⁷ Washington, DC Archdiocese. 

Upon talking to a Dominican priest of the western province who urged me to research, write, and publish what I could find about McCloskey.

I learned neither Opus Dei, nor McCarrick’s Archdiocese, had not put CJ McCloskey out of commission – nor had they appeared to give him help for whatever mental and psychological issues that caused him to molest vulnerable persons, Vos estis lux mundi.

Within 3 days of the phone call with the Dominican priest, I had found a woman who’d been paid by the Washington, DC Archdiocese, Opus Dei, as well as CJ McCloskey, priest of Opus Dei $1,000,000.00 plus a signed non-disclosure. 

Wise and prudent woman, she decided to break that non-disclosure.  As well, I found 2 other women who I believe had been hurt by CJ McCloskey – or who had been paid monies and urged to sign an NDA. They, nor the woman I knew professionally, would come forward. 

Upon consultation with 2 gentlemen friends, a Virginia University Dean, and a National Geographic Society magazine editor, I gave my research to the Washington Post’s Boorstein.

That story ran in 2019. 

Three major news outlets invited my opinion editorial.  I declined.  A new science and small business freelance writer, I did not want my name associated with a few Opus Dei prelature who had failed their brother priest, as to fraternal correction, and their flock.

September 2021 that changed when I learned Opus Dei had manipulated the woman, paid $1,000,000, to give the name of the woman I knew who had sustained acute mental anguish and trauma by way of CJ McCloskey.    

In addition, Opus Dei press releases since 2019, state that McCloskey had a drinking problem that caused a one-off of sexual misconduct.        

That’s an insult to addicts and alcoholics and a lie to good Opus Dei members, for whom I have great personal regard and deep affection. 

McCloskey had serious psychological problems, which I conveyed in 2003 to Opus Dei by way of the Washington, Archdiocese in the form of several phone calls.    

President Granberg, of The George Washington Univeristy, I am requesting that you direct the IT Help Center department in recovering my email and land-line phone records from 2002 to 2003 when I was working at the Institute of Education Policy Studies (IEPS), Graduate School of Education and Human Development (GSEHD), The George Washington University.   

Thank you.

At that time a colleague had conveyed that she’d been molested by CJ McCloskey, an Opus Dei priest operating out of the Catholic Information Center, and we had multiple back and forth communications as to how to proceed.

I urged her to stop seeing him, to stop talking to him, that he had serious psychological problems, that he was probably hurting other women, too. 

To repeat, she could not.  She was terrified of him.

I am hopeful that you will assist me in gathering the electronic emails and land-line phone data that shows my back and forth to the first brave woman who came forward to me – as well as multiple lengthy phone calls I made to the Washington Archdiocese about McCloskey. 

I was naïve to assume that McCloskey’s Opus Dei confreres, and the Washington Archdiocese prelature, headed by McCarrick, gave strict fraternal correction in 2002, 2003, and onward. 

Badly done, Opus Dei and Washington Archdiocese prelatures, badly done. 

I am naïve no longer about the inability of a few to give loving, truthful fraternal correction among the Church faithful. 

Hence, my letter to you, as well as letters to the current Washington, DC Archdiocese.   

In writing this letter I do not condemn my Catholic brothers in the Opus Dei prelature. 

Rather, I seek to provide for them what they did not provide for CJ McCloskey:  fraternal correction in truth and love and accountability.     

May God have mercy on us all. May God have mercy on me, least of all men.

Pax Christi, ave maria,

Carol Therese Young  

Please continue to read Part 7 of 7, The Pope Francis Letters

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The Pope Francis Letters, a 7 Part Series+++

Letter 6D, Telephone Carriers AT & T and T-Mobile

September 29, 2021, Feast Day of Saints Gabriel, Michael, and Raphael

San Damiano Retreat Center, Virginia

Telephone Carriers T-Mobile & AT & T

Dear T-Mobile and AT & T Administrative Teams,

I write to request that you recover my text messages from a cell phone I possessed in 2001-2003. That number is ________________. 

When I had terrible cell phone service with your phone company – you did not provide service to Indiana’s rural areas, and I did not know that – you got back to me in 8 weeks to sort out the problem.

I had sent a video to your CEO explaining that as a writer if he hired me and I had turned in bad work then he would not have to pay me. 

Thus, if I was not getting good service: repeated dropped calls which happened more than once while I was on a call to the Oakland Athletics front office -super embarrassing – because

In 2002 I moved from Cleveland Ohio to Washington, DC to work and then attend graduate school.  Here was my then phone number __________________ I think I had phone service with AT & T but I wondered if you could work with them in order to provide information, assistance in releasing the text messages I had? 

I had a flip phone, was working for this _________ University and living _________

I am requesting that Opus Dei an organization within the Catholic Church whose people and members are lovely but whose leadership failed to correct fraternally (discipline properly) one of their priests Father CJ McCloskey.

I had had phone conferences – telephone calls – to the Washington, DC Archdiocese chancery at least 4 times during the period of December, 2002 and January 2003. 

Could you please research those archived text message.  

I am asking for 100% total discretion, please. I would like to protect my friends and family and colleagues’ information, specifically the young brave woman who came forward to me to explain and describe how she’d been hurt.

I want to protect their identity and privacy. 

I simply need to prove to Pope Francis who is the immediate supervisor of Opus Dei prelature as well as the Vatican that a report was made multiple times to the Washington Archdiocese and via them (under Cardinal McCarrick) to Opus Dei itself.

As well, I’d like to show that I had tried multiple times to have the person come forward and it was nearly impossible given the ugly treatment by said Opus Dei priest and the terrible fall-out she feared as to her reputation.

Thank you for your assistance, consideration and cooperation team T-Mobile and team AT & T.

I should tell you that in cooperating with whatever organization our Papem Francis sees fit to put Opus Dei under you will meet many very fine person, women and men, in the Roman Catholic Church and her many organizations, including Opus Dei.

As in the days of Christ, even in the worst of times, when what we believe was our Savior’s crucifixion only 1 man of 12 was a Judas, was a colossal failure.  That’s less than 10%.

We’re doing even better now, statistically speaking. 

God bless you and cheers,

Carol Therese Young

Please continue to read Part 7 of 7, The Pope Francis Letters

1. Pope Francis, Vatican, Apostolic Letter, Vos Estis Lux Mundi, June 2019, https://www.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/motu_proprio/documents/papa-francesco-motu-proprio-20190507_vos-estis-lux-mundi.html (accessed December, 2018).

2. Mark Oppenheimer, New York Times, Priest with the Magnetic Touch, https://www.nytimes.com/2015/06/13/us/rev-c-john-mccloskey-iii-an-opus-dei-priest-with-a-magnetic-touch.html (accessed December, 2018).

3. NBC News, Former Cardinal McCarrick, 91, due in court sex assault case. Sept, 2021. https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/former-cardinal-theodore-mccarrick-91-due-court-sex-assault-case-n1278450 (accessed December 2024).

4. Pope Francis, Vatican, Apostolic Letter, Vos Estis Lux Mundi, June 2019, https://www.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/motu_proprio/documents/papa-francesco-motu-proprio-20190507_vos-estis-lux-mundi.html (accessed December, 2019).

5. Ibid.

6. Sister of Life Annunciation  (Motherhouse, Novitiate, Vocations) 38 Montebello Rd Suffern, NY 10901 (845) 357-3547 Tel(845) 357-5040

7. NBC News, Former Cardinal McCarrick, 91, due in court sex assault case. Sept, 2021. https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/former-cardinal-theodore-mccarrick-91-due-court-sex-assault-case-n1278450 (accessed December 2024).

+++Grateful acknowledgment in the thorough research, writing, and conclusion of the Pope Francis letters to my nieces and nephews and their parents, each one of them, whose moral compass is pointed due North toward Christ, the big T Truth; - and whose fraternal correction of me yesterday, today, and tomorrow forms me to be a better Catholic and Christian; to the members and alumni of Purdue University, the University of Notre Dame School of Engineering and Law School, Case Western University Law School, Oberlin College, Saint Louis University, Earlham College, University of Michigan’s School of Engineering, Business School, and Computer Science department, The George Washington University, The Catholic University of America, and Dominican House of Studies whose people lent their talent, resources, and expertise in the writing of these letters. I want to thank in particular the Baptist, Evangelical, and Jewish communities of Oberlin College, Oberlin, OH; St Louis, Missouri; Colorado Springs, Colorado, St Paul, Minnesota, Vacaville, California, and Bremen, Indiana whose prayers, spiritual fortitude, encouragement, and faith inspired me to publish what I’ve written herein. Last of all, I want to thank the woman, my former colleague, who was courageous enough to share her story and by her example I am certain other women were protected from a hurting, confused, and disordered priest McCloskey, and he — at the very least received the prayers I, and my family and friends, offered on his behalf and he did have a portion of his responsibilities take from him, which is a minimal discipline but some discipline nonetheless. Finally, I want to thank the devout, pious Opus Dei priest who once worked at St Mary’s seminary in Maryland who encouraged one woman to hire a lawyer and sue Opus Dei; the Opus Dei faithful - the people and priests - who have been so kind to me and who lead by example in their walk with Christ; and the Dominicans of the East Coast and West coast provinces, the Holy Cross priests of the University of Notre Dame, and the many parishioners, priests, and prelates from Virginia to Washington, DC, California, Maryland, Indiana, Ohio, and Michigan who heard my confessions and urged me onward: St. Dominica Catholic Church, Bremen, Indiana; Sacred Heart Catholic Church, Lakeville, Indiana; St Joseph Catholic Church, South Bend, Indiana, St Dominic Church Washington, DC; You have the answers to life’s most difficult questions - Jesus Christ yesterday, today, and forever. You know who you are and so does God. Thank you.