The New Jersey attorney general says hundreds of phone calls have been placed to a clergy sex abuse hotline that specializes in Catholic church officials, generating numerous potential leads for law enforcement officials.

New Jersey Attorney General Gurbir S. Grewal says five Catholic dioceses of the state have been cooperating in the investigation, which will hopefully help the investigation process along.

However, according to NJ.com, the attorney general also stated that some of the cases may not be viable to pursue because of the statute of limitations, but he intends to go after the cases that have not expired.

The attorney general commented about the clergy sex abuse hotline with the Star-Ledger editorial board, stating New Jersey officials set up a task force to investigate allegations of sex abuse by Catholic priests and other church officials in the dioceses of the state.

This was reportedly spurred by a groundbreaking report by a Pennsylvania grand jury, which detailed alleged abuse incidents in which religious officials preyed on children for years.

“We’re going to be publishing a report similar to the Pennsylvania report. [T]he people of this state have a right to know,” the New Jersey attorney general told the Star-Ledger.

The calls the clergy hotline received so far have reportedly generated numerous potential cases of Catholic sex abuse, but it is unknown which of them will evolve into criminal investigations.

Overview of Childhood Sex Abuse Trauma

Childhood sex abuse is one of the most traumatizing events a victim can go through, with the psychological effects often staying with survivors for the rest of their adult life.

According to ACOG, childhood sex abuse often leads to bouts of depression, PTSD, drug or alcohol addiction, and psychological blocks that prevent abuse victims from having healthy relationships. This clergy sex abuse hotline is a way to provide victims a potential pathway to get justice for their suffering.

One recent example of success from the hotline is from January 2019, when Reverend Thomas P. Ganley was reportedly arrested on sexual assault charges just two days after the alleged victim called the clergy sex abuse hotline. The victim reportedly suffered in silence for decades, with his call leading to Ganley eventually pleading guilty to the charges.

Over 300 New Jersey priests, nuns, monks, and other clergy officials have been accused of sexual abuse, reportedly including many not on the Catholic Church’s official list.

These names were a part of a reported produced by law firm from Minnesota. The firm created the list after Edward H. filed a sexual abuse lawsuit alleging he had suffered sexual abuse in New Jersey during his childhood.

Edward’s lawsuit alleged the five Catholic dioceses in New Jersey created a “public hazard” by not naming all church officials who allegedly sexually victimized children. There are 311 names in this report, which reportedly came from other lawsuits, legal settlements, news reports, and other public account records of alleged sex abuse.

The Archdiocese of Newark, Camden, Metuchen, Trenton, and Paterson had released the names of 188 priests and deacons who were “credibly accused.” The list still did not include the names of other church officials accused of sexual misconduct.

According to a statement made by the Newark Archdiocese, it will continue to report abuse allegations to law enforcement and encourages church sex abuse victims to come forward.

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