I don't know the limits of what McCarrick deserves, but all else being equal, this seems like a good first step, though long overdue. Presumably he still is liable to prosecution, as many sex crimes have no statute of limitations. So I doubt he's out of the woods yet.
But McCarrick is only one perpetrator, though perhaps the highest up. The problem the RCC has at this point is lack of confidence due to its endemic cover-up of this massive problem for several decades, even after the partial revelations of twenty years ago should have given profound warning. This lack of confidence will, in my view, lead to: people walking away, a decline in contributions, schools closing because of reticence to send children there and a lack of funding, and a great lessening of the moral authority of the RCC's voice in the public square. Simply put, it's an utter disaster, and what happens to one guy, McCarrick, while symbolic and important, at best can only be a start to what must be a complete systemic repentance, house cleaning, and renewal.
Francis certainly has shown he's willing to shake things up, but many are convinced most of it hasn't been for the good. On this issue, the issue that will define his tenure, he has move glacially and has exhibited a troubling degree of denial and even blameshifting to the ones prophetically calling out the sin. The real issue is whether the RCC will exercise the quality of leadership required to root out the evil and turn this around for the good. How this move with McCarrick fits in I guess we soon will see.
