Advocates for Sex Abuse Victims Demand Probe of Newark Archbishop John J. Myers

By Mark Mueller
The Star-Ledger
May 1, 2013

http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2013/05/advocates_for_sex_abuse_victim.html

Mark Crawford, in foreground, and other advocates for victims of sexual abuse speak at a press conference across from archdiocese headquarters in Newark on May 1.

Newark Archbishop John J. Meyers, seen here in March, has come under criticism for his handling of the Rev. Michael Fugee.

[with video]

A coalition of groups representing victims of sexual abuse today called for an investigation of Newark Archbishop John J. Myers by the National Review Board, a lay panel created to guide the nation’s bishops on matters of reform and accountability in the wake of the clergy sex abuse crisis.

At an afternoon news conference across the street from the archdiocese’s Newark headquarters, the advocates argued Myers blatantly violated an agreement with law enforcement and the church’s child-protection policies by allowing a priest to minister to minors despite a lifetime ban on such behavior.

"It’s unacceptable, it’s wrong and it’s reckless," said Mark Crawford, New Jersey director of the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, a national advocacy and support group. "Until there are consequences, this will not stop. We need a change in leadership in the Archdiocese of Newark to restore credibility."

While Crawford conceded the review board has not previously conducted the kind of investigation he is seeking, he said he is hopeful the panel will recognize what he called an unprecedented crisis of credibility over Myers’ supervision of the Rev. Michael Fugee.

Crawford also appealed directly to Cardinal Timothy Dolan, president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, to enlist the aid of the Vatican in removing Myers, who has faced harsher criticism by the day. Myers has declined all interview requests.

Earlier this week, The Star-Ledger reported that Fugee, 52, has attended youth retreats, heard confession from minors behind closed doors and traveled to Canada with children through his unofficial association with a Monmouth County church, St. Mary’s Parish in Colts Neck.

The interactions appear to be a clear violation of an agreement he signed with the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office in 2007. That memorandum of understanding, in which Fugee and the archdiocese pledged he would not work "in any position involving children," was a condition of Fugee’s involvement in a rehabilitation program for first-time offenders.

He had previously been convicted of criminal sexual contact after admitting to police he fondled the genitals of a teenage boy on two occasions. An appellate panel overturned the verdict in 2006, ruling the trial judge should not have allowed jurors to hear that Fugee considered himself homosexual.

Despite the 2007 agreement and Fugee’s involvement in the rehabilitation program, the archdiocese has characterized the priest as a victim, noting that an archdiocese review board found no sexual abuse took place. A spokesman for Myers, James Goodness, said the Vatican had come to the same conclusion.

This evening, after two days of silence, Goodness issued a brief statement criticizing the involvement of politicians in the burgeoning controversy. On Tuesday, state Sen. Joseph Vitale

(D-Middlesex) and Assemblywoman Valerie Vainieri Huttle (D-Bergen) urged Myers to step down.

Sen. Barbara Buono

(D-Middlesex), a candidate for governor, joined in those calls today, saying Myers’ "lack of judgment calls into question his ability to protect those in his flock."

Goodness called the broadsides "rash."

"The comments of Senator Buono and other elected officials, such as Senator Vitale and Assemblywoman Huttle, represent a reckless and rash rush to judgment without a complete or thorough and competent understanding of the issues," he said.

Goodness has argued Fugee did not violate the agreement because he was under the supervision of other priests and lay ministers.

Crawford and other advocates decried that interpretation, saying it defied the letter and spirit of the document.

"This is simply another example of the arrogance of power that John Myers has displayed since he came to Newark," said Robert Hoatson, a former priest who heads the support group Road to Recovery. "He cares little for the victims and more about maintaining the image of the church."

The advocates at today's news conference represented a range of groups, including Voice of the Faithful, Bergen County-based healingSPACE, Pax Christi and Malesurvivor. Many of the groups have called for Myers to resign.

For the first time today, Gov. Chris Christie briefly addressed the issue, saying he would reach out to Myers before forming an opinion.

"What I’ve read is disturbing," Christie said. "If, in fact, those things are true and the complete story, then I have serious concerns about those decisions. But all I know is what I’ve read so far. I have a good relationship with the archbishop. I’ll be talking to him to find out his side of the story."

Though Myers remains silent, one longtime defender of the archbishop criticized The Star-Ledger for its coverage, saying the newspaper had declared "war" on the archbishop.

"At bottom, The Star-Ledger has maligned Archbishop Myers, and has treated Father Fugee like a political football," Bill Donohue, president of the Catholic League for Religious and Civil Rights, wrote on his website.