Newark Archbishop John Myers Turns up at Bergen County Courthouse
By Hannan Adely
Newark Archbishop John J. Myers visited the Bergen County Courthouse on Thursday, months after a local priest was arrested on seven counts accusing him of violating a lifetime ban on ministering to children, charges that were referred to a grand jury. The priest, the Rev. Michael Fugee, a former assistant pastor of a Wyckoff parish, was found guilty in 2003 of groping a teenage boy, but the conviction was overturned three years later because of a judicial error. He and the archdiocese later signed an agreement with the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office that barred him from working with children. He was returned to the ministry in 2009. Prosecutors in May charged Fugee with seven felony counts of contempt of a judicial order, claiming he violated the agreement by hearing confessions from minors seven times from April 2010 to December 2012 at various churches, a retreat center and a private home. A grand jury typically decides in private whether felony charges are credible enough to indict. Fugee has not been indicted. He was released on $25,000 bail. It’s unclear why Myers was at the courthouse, which also is where the Prosecutor’s Office is located. The archbishop was seen at 11:20 a.m. outside the courthouse with Jim Goodness, archdiocese spokesman and vice chancellor. Goodness declined to comment about the appearance. “The whole inquiry is supposed to be done confidentially, so I can’t share any information in any capacity,” he said. He added: “We are cooperating with the prosecutor completely in their inquiry of the Father Fugee matter. We continue to and have been from the beginning.” No one from the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office would say why Myers was at the courthouse. Fugee’s new lawyer, John Whipple, said he also did not know why Myers was at the courthouse. Whipple replaces Michael D’Alessio, Fugee’s former lawyer in the case. D’Alessio had requested a probable cause hearing after the priest’s May arrest to compel the Prosecutor's Office to present evidence that Fugee failed to abide by the ban on ministering to children. Whipple said a probable cause hearing has been indefinitely postponed. Prosecutor John L. Molinelli and Assistant Prosecutor Demetra Maurice did not respond to a request for comment on Thursday. A spokeswoman for the Prosecutor’s Office, Maureen Parenta, said she could not comment. “All grand jury proceedings are confidential,” she said. “If an indictment comes and is handed down by the grand jury, there would be an announcement to the press.” Fugee resigned from the ministry in May, but he remains a priest. Myers has said that he is awaiting the conclusion of the prosecutor’s investigation before considering further church action, which could include removing him from the priesthood. Myers has fallen under intense scrutiny over the Fugee case and has been criticized for failing to properly supervise the priest. Myers gave deposition testimony in a lawsuit that resulted last month in a $1.3 million settlement against the Illinois diocese he once headed. In those records, Myers denied knowledge of a priest’s alleged sex abuse, faulting underlings who failed to alert him and poor record keeping. In a move announced last week, Pope Francis appointed Bishop Bernard Hebda of Gaylord, Mich., to serve as a co-adjutor or assistant archbishop beginning in November. Hebda is expected eventually to take the helm of the Newark archdiocese when Myers either resigns or retires. Myers, 72, is expected to retire in mid-2016. Myers denied that Hebda’s naming was related to the controversy over his handling of sex abuse matters. Email: adely@northjersey.com
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