a 2006 letter from cardinal leonardo sandri , a top vatican official confirms that the holy see received information in 2000 about the sexual misconduct of now - resigned u.s. cardinal ... ( associated press ) vatican city ( ap ) — a 2006 letter from a top vatican official confirms that the holy see received information in 2000 about the sexual misconduct of now - resigned u.s. cardinal , lending credibility to bombshell accusations of a cover - up at the highest echelons of the roman catholic church .
 
file - in this monday , march 4 , 2013 file photo , argentine cardinal leonardo sandri arrives for a meeting , at the vatican .
ramsay informed the vatican in a november 2000 letter about then cardinal theodore mccarrick 's misconduct with seminarians from seton hall university 's immaculate conception seminary .
in the letter , father ramsey told cns , " i complained about mccarrick 's relationships with seminarians and the whole business with sleeping with seminarians and all of that ; the whole business that everyone knows about , " father ramsey said .
then - archbishop sandri wrote to father ramsey , " i ask with particular reference to the serious matters involving some of the students of the immaculate conception seminary , which in november 2000 you were good enough to bring confidentially to the attention of the then apostolic nuncio in the united states , the late archbishop gabriel montalvo . "
sandri , the former vatican substitute for general affairs , asking for information regarding a priest of the archdiocese of newark who studied at immaculate conception seminary and was being vetted for a post at a vatican office .
ramsay , who in 2000 was on the faculty at the seminary , has said he sent the letter at the request of the then - vatican ambassador because he had heard so many complaints from seminarians that mccarrick would invite them to his beach house and into his bed .
he made the letter available to cns .