How many New Jersey priests are in the accused priest database?

In February 2019, the New Jersey Catholic dioceses released the names of priests and deacons who have been credibly accused of sexually abusing children.

The list compiled from the five dioceses includes 193 names of accused priests and deacons, of which one hundred church leaders are deceased.

Reportedly, in the ever-growing Catholic church abuse scandal, 63 priests and deacons have been accused in the Archdiocese of Newark, 56 are from the Diocese of Camden, 31 from the Diocese of Trenton, 29 from the Diocese of Paterson, and 14 from the Diocese of Metuchen. One priest appeared on both the lists for Newark and Paterson, NJ.com notes.

What action has been taken to hold these priests accountable?

In the immediate aftermath of the list’s release, Pope Francis defrocked (that is, took away the ecclesiastical status of) a top New Jersey priest. Three days after the list was released to the public, the Vatican said it had conducted its own investigation into Cardinal Theodore McCarrick.

McCarrick had served as the Archbishop of Newark, the founding Bishop of Metuchen, and was Archbishop Emeritus of Washington, D.C. The Vatican’s investigation found McCarrick guilty of sexual abuse with children and adults over the past several decades. He was initially removed from public ministry in June 2018, and the next month became the first cardinal to resign because of sexual abuse claims.

The Catholic church has paid compensation to victims of sexual assault all across the country.

Five New Jersey dioceses collaborated to create a Catholic victim compensation fund for people who were victims of sexual assault. This fund was open for a year, between Feb. 2019 and Feb. 2020. Payouts from the fund were based on a variety of factors, such as the age of the survivor at the time of the abuse, the type of abuse, and the effect the abuse had on the survivor’s life. Survivors of abuse had to decide whether the fund would be a better option than pursuing litigation.

Additionally, the New Jersey attorney general’s office has established a task force that will investigate sexual abuse allegations against priests. The task force will reportedly investigate if the Catholic Church has sufficiently handled allegations of abuse. The task force established a clergy abuse hotline that has led to multiple arrests of priests accused of abuse. 

Unfortunately, because many of the priests listed by the New Jersey dioceses as being accused of assault have died, or the abuse occurred decades ago, there may be many challenges to finding justice.

In many cases, the statute of limitations has passed or there are limited records available. In these cases, there may be very few consequences, such as prison time, for priests and former priests accused of abuse.

Is this problem unique to New Jersey?

Unfortunately, this abuse is not unique to New Jersey. The problem of sexual abuse in the Catholic Church has gained attention nationwide as priests and other church officials around the country have been accused of assault, including those in Brooklyn, California, and other places. 

BishopAccountability.org has established a searchable priest database of all of the church officials who have been credibly accused of sexual abuse in the country. Some of these officials have been charged, while others have just faced accusations. The accused priest database lists both living and deceased officials who have been accused.

Why has the accused priest database only now been established?

Critics argue that there has been a systematic cover-up of Catholic Church sex abuse. So, the full extent of the problem of sexual abuse within the church is just now coming to light, and may never be fully understood.

What happened to priests who have been accused of sexual abuse?

The national accused priest database also gives information on what happened to a priest after they were accused. NJ.com notes that the New Jersey priests accused of abuse were in some cases moved from parish to parish to avoid accusations. In other cases, these New Jersey priests were reportedly allowed to continue to lead in the parishes in which they had allegedly committed abuse.

What are the next steps?

According to a spokesperson of the Diocese of Trenton, in light of releasing the list of names of those priests accused of sexual abuse, the church will continue to add information to the list of nearly 200 accused priests. Currently, the New Jersey list only includes the names, dates of birth, ordination date, and status of accused priests.

Unfortunately, large portions of the information available around the country is still similarly unspecific, and critics worry that this represents that the Catholic Church is continuing to protect accused priests.

Have any lawsuits been filed?

Yes, at least 240 sexual abuse lawsuits have been filed due to the Catholic Church sex abuse scandal in New Jersey, according to northjersey.com.

New Jersey suspended the statute of limitations for civil suits in the cases of child sexual abuse in December 2019, which allowed victims of decades-old abuse to file lawsuits. In fact, enough cases have been filed that some of the dioceses have since filed for bankruptcy.

In June 2021, the names of nine previously unnamed New Jersey priests were brought forward in litigation, according to NJ.com.

Allegations of sexual abuse occurring at the New Jersey dioceses went as high up as former Cardinal Theodore McCarrick, now 90 years old. McCarrick was defrocked in 2019 by Pope Francis after the Vatican determined that credible allegations of sexual assault and abuse made against McCarrick went back to the 1980s, per AP News.

McCarrick allegedly sexually abused seminarians, who were young adults, and boys who were minors. The first allegation against McCarrick that was deemed credible was from a man who said he was an altar boy in 1971 and 1972 at St. Patrick’s Cathedral. The man said he was just a young teen when McCarrick molested him when they were working to prepare the church for Christmas Mass.

During his decades in various roles of authority within the Catholic church, McCarrick allegedly sexually abused men and boys during weekend excursions to a beach house and even during confession, according to AP News.

In August 2018, Archbishop Carlo Maria Vigano published a report that listed the names of 24 clergy members in the U.S. and the Vatican who allegedly knew of McCarrick’s sexual abuse, but helped keep the allegations secret for at least two decades. Vigano purportedly produced evidence that one former seminarian wrote a letter to a bishop back in 1994 and provided details of the sexual abuse the man and fellow seminarians endured at the hands of McCarrick.

A New Jersey Catholic diocese has agreed to a $87.5 million settlement to bring an end to clergy sex abuse claims involving around 300 alleged victims, one of the largest Catholic Church cash settlements in the United States so far.

Filing a New Jersey Catholic sex abuse lawsuit

There was a two-year lookback window in New Jersey for survivors of child sexual abuse to pursue litigation, no matter when it occurred — even if it was decades ago. That lookback window closed on Nov. 30, 2021.

Other states have opened similar lookback windows, some of which may still be open.

If you or someone you love has suffered from sexual abuse by a New Jersey priest, you may be able to file a lawsuit and pursue compensation. Filing a lawsuit cannot take away the pain and suffering caused by abuse, but it can at least help to provide some compensation and hold those responsible accountable for their actions and inactions.

Filing a lawsuit can be a daunting prospect, so Top Class Actions has laid the groundwork for you by connecting you with an experienced attorney. Consulting an attorney can help you determine if you have a claim, navigate the complexities of litigation, and maximize your potential compensation.

This article is not legal advice. It is presented
for informational purposes only.