Petrelis Files

FBI: No Records on
Cardinal O'Connor or Marcial Maciel

The feds have responded to two more of my FOIAs for files on leading Catholics, both deceased and of a controversial nature, of the past few decades, in this case Cardinal John J. O'Connor, once the Archbishop of New York City, and Marcial Maciel, a conservative Mexican prelate accused of many sexual abuse crimes, who visited the U.S. and died in Texas.

The FBI found no records responsive to my FOIA request, and I believe it's smart to report on the absence of the files on either Catholic cleric. The best way to find out if the feds had any reason to investigate leading dead Catholics is to file a FOIA.

Here are the letters from the FBI. The one on Maciel is first, followed by the one for O'Connor: