A former Catholic Bishop for the Camden, N.J. area has been added to the list of Catholic leaders accused of abuse after a purported victim has come forward.

The Philadelphia Inquirer reports that Nicholas DiMarzio, now based in Brooklyn, was a priest serving a parish in Jersey City, N.J. in the 1970s when the molestation of Mark Matzek—now in his 50s—supposedly occurred. Matzek at the time was a student at St. Nicholas parish school as well as an altar boy for the church.

Both DiMarzio and a secondary perpetrator—the late Rev. Albert Mark—were among the Catholic priests accused of abuse by counsel for Matzek. The attorney sent a letter to the Newark archdiocese regarding his client’s allegations on Monday, Nov. 11.  After hearing word of these allegations, DiMarzio has claimed his complete innocence and denies any wrongdoing of this nature at any time over the course of a ministerial career spanning a half-century.

The Bishop left Newark in 1999 and served as the Bishop of Camden until 2003 when the first wave of the clergy sexual abuse scandal was embroiling the Catholic Church. In 2003, Catholic priests accused of abuse were named by 23 purported victims in a class action lawsuit in the Camden region. The diocese settled the case for $880,000 and was said to have engaged in legal hardball with the victims, earning a reprimand from the presiding judge.

From Investigating Abuse to Being Accused of Abuse

As indicated in a Nov. 18 article on Fox29.com, the irony behind this recent accusation is that Pope Francis engaged DiMarzio approximately a month ago to step in and help investigate the Buffalo, New York diocese. Buffalo diocese Bishop Joseph Malone was facing calls for his resignation for ineptly handling an expanding clergy sexual abuse scandal in that location.

While the press secretary for the Brooklyn diocese has indicated that DiMarzio has completed his investigation on the Buffalo diocese and offered the report to the Pope, Matzek’s attorney claims that this effort is tainted given the allegations put forth by his client. Despite interviewing 80 clergymen and lay people of the Buffalo diocese over a seven day period, the attorney has said during Associated Press (AP) interviews that the DiMarzio is not neutral and the neutrality of law enforcement is what is needed.

According to a Nov. 14, 2019 Courier-Post article, it was also noted that the complainant’s counsel has called for DiMarzio to be placed on immediate administrative leave while an investigation is underway. New Jersey has a new law that will go into effect on Dec. 1 which will extend the statute of limitations for child sexual abuse claimants. This law will allow a two-year open period to allow former victims who might have been previously limited by the law to file suit against their perpetrators or the organizations that may have supported or covered for them.

While Matzek’s case has not yet been filed, the announcing letter to the Newark archdiocese outlines the allegations and announces the intent to seek $20 million in a compensatory award.

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