Dear Editor: With all due respect, we have been getting apologies for the past 30 years all around the world from the Catholic hierarchy on clerical abuse. It’s time to clean house and excommunicate and civilly charge by secular authorities any priests, bishops and cardinals who participated or covered up these crimes. People need to go to jail. People have been leaving the church in droves around the world because of these crimes and coverups.

Cardinal McCarrick is a prime example of someone who should be severely punished for his coverups. People are losing faith in the Catholic hierarchy only they can reaffirm that.

PAUL MARKOWSKI

Bayside