|
Advocates seek Vatican inquiry of Newark archbishop
By Jeff Green
In what might be the first formal complaint to a new Vatican tribunal, an advocacy group for clergy sexual abuse victims on Wednesday called for an investigation of Newark Archbishop John J. Myers and his handling of child molestation cases spanning three decades. Eight members of Catholic Whistleblowers, a national group of church reformists, said they would be filing an 80-page document detailing Myers’ actions in various cases in Newark and at his former diocese in Peoria, Illinois. On Wednesday, they hand-delivered a copy of their grievances to Myers’ spokesman at the Newark chancery and said they would send another to the Vatican’s top U.S. diplomat in the coming days. The group is aiming to get the attention of a tribunal set up by Pope Francis in June to hold bishops accountable for covering up or failing to take action against sexually abusive priests. It was unknown on Wednesday whether the tribunal, housed in the Vatican’s Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, had received any other cases for its review, but the activists said they believed their complaint was among the first, if not the first, to be presented publicly. The Rev. Federico Lombardi, the Vatican spokesman, said it was "premature" to comment on what cases would be considered by the tribunal, which he said has not yet been organized. The complaint came days after Myers turned 74 and entered what is expected to be his last year at the helm of the archdiocese. Next year, when he turns 75, he must submit his resignation to the pope. But critics said they hoped Francis would remove the archbishop from office before then. “The pope has 11 ½ months to act,” said Robert Hoatson, founder of Road to Recovery, Inc., a victims’ advocacy group. “It’s not too late.” “We say it’s important for Pope Francis to act and not just let nature run its course,” said the Rev. James E. Connell, a retired Milwaukee priest and canon lawyer who helped compile the complaint. “He needs to actually discipline the bishops who have harmed people.” Connell added that Myers should not be “allowed to live in that palatial house he’s building,” referring to a 7,500 square-foot retirement house in Hunterdon County that Myers used upwards of $500,000 in archdiocesan funds to expand. In a written statement released Wednesday afternoon, Jim Goodness, Myers’ spokesman, said: "Archbishop Myers has been very aggressive in pursuing allegations of sexual misconduct while he has been serving as Archbishop of Newark -- from reporting accusations to law enforcement, to having our Archdiocesan Review Board investigate matters, and in taking action.” Myers has consistently defended his record, citing the removal of 19 sexually abusive priests since he became archbishop in 2002. In Peoria, Goodness said he could not comment on specifics, but that Myers had removed some priests there as well. At a press conference in an East Hanover hotel on Wednesday, the Catholic Whistleblowers accused Myers of shielding abusive priests from scrutiny – in effect putting more children in harm’s way. “There has been a consistent lack of protecting the children,” Connell said. Two parishioners who traveled from Illinois to New Jersey for the press conference said Myers failed to remove a priest who molested their sons in the Peoria diocese. There were as many as 13 complaints about the Rev. Norman Goodman, but the diocese did not remove him until after Myers left Peoria for Newark, said Helen Rainforth, whose son Lance said he was abused by the priest. Myers’ successor in Peoria, Bishop Daniel Jenky, removed eight abusive priests from ministry, including Goodman, just weeks after taking office. Linda Bruns, the other parishioner, said years ago during a meeting with Myers to discuss stopping future attacks by Goodman and other priests, Myers looked at her directly and said the only solution would be to “catch him with his hand in the cookie jar.” Also during the press conference, Samuel Rivera, a former parishioner at Immaculate Conception parish in Newark, tearfully described similar dealings with Myers when he alleged abuse by Monsignor John Laferrera. The priest was not immediately removed, and in fact was promoted, after another victim filed a complaint against him in 2009, Rivera said. Three years later, the archdiocese settled a lawsuit brought by Rivera and five victims for $300,000 and announced that Laferrera had been removed from ministry. The group also referred to a case involving Michael Fugee, a former Bergen County priest whose conviction for groping a 13-year-old boy was tossed out by an appellate court over a judicial error. Prosecutors did not retry him but required Fugee to sign a ban on ministering to children, which he was accused of violating a few years later by attending youth groups throughout New Jersey. Critics said Myers failed to supervise the priest, who has since been defrocked. In appealing for a review of Myer’s actions, Sister Maureen Paul Turlish, a nun from Delaware and member of the Catholic Whistleblowers, emphasized the gravity of sex crimes against young people. “This is soul murder,” she said. “It’s like your whole psyche, you’re gutted, you’re like a fish, your insides are pulled out, and it’s not acceptable. The gospel says the responsibility is to protect the most vulnerable. Well, who’s more vulnerable than the child or young people or vulnerable adults?” Contact: greenj@northjersey.com
|
.
Any original material on these pages is copyright © BishopAccountability.org 2004. Reproduce freely with attribution.