The bishop of the Diocese of Metuchen and other Church representatives from across the U.S. recently voted on a series of measures designed to hold bishops accountable in cases of sexual abuse by Catholic clergy members.

The votes were taken on June 13 at the Spring General Assembly of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) in Baltimore, according to mycentraljersey.com. The measures were proposed in response to new changes in Church law issued on May 7 in an apostolic letter by Pope Francis.

The apostolic letter, known as a Motu Proprio, is a modification or addition to existing law within the worldwide Catholic Church. The body of essential law is known as canon law.

The Motu Proprio is mandatory. It not only supports a keener oversight over priests, but extends that accountability to the Catholic hierarchy of bishops.

In an earlier apostolic letter from March 26, the Pope called for strengthening of the Church’s regulatory and institutional framework “so that in the Roman Curia and in Vatican City State:

• there exist a community respectful and mindful of the rights and the needs of minors and of vulnerable persons, as well as being vigilant in preventing any form of physical or psychological violence or abuse, abandonment, neglect, ill-treatment or exploitation that may occur either in interpersonal relationships or in shared spaces and facilities;
• everyone becomes ever more aware of the duty to report abuses to the competent Authorities and to cooperate with them in their prevention and opposition;
• all instances of abuse or ill-treatment of minors or of vulnerable persons are effectively prosecuted in accordance with the law;
• the right to be welcomed, listened to and accompanied is recognized of those who claim to have suffered exploitation, sexual abuse or ill-treatment, and of their families …”

Diocese of Metuchen is No Stranger to Sexual Misconduct

Bishop James Checchio, the current bishop of the Diocese of Metuchen, was present at the conference and participated in the votes. Checchio was a successor of Theodore McCarrick, the founding bishop of the Metuchen diocese. McCarrick retired last year amid allegations of sexual abuse against a minor over decades ago.

Church officials eventually deemed the accusations to be substantial and credible and the Archbishop was asked to take a leave of absence pending review of the evidence available. While the Cardinal was the founder of the Metuchen diocese, he also went on to serve as Archbishop of Newark and of Washington D.C.

McCarrick was accused of committing sexual abuse when he was a priest in New York in the 1970s, allegedly assaulting a boy who is now in his 60s. At the time of the alleged abuse, the present-day allegations were reported to law enforcement. Later, a thorough review of the records of his career revealed that he had had three allegations of sexual impropriety with adults that had not been reported to legal authorities.

Of the three allegations, according to Bishop Checchio, the record clearly indicated that settlements had been offered for at least two.

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