Why Would a Catholic School Seek to Deny Justice for Victims of Sexual Abuse?

By Mark Crawford
Newark Star-Ledger
June 10, 2020

https://www.nj.com/opinion/2020/06/why-would-a-catholic-school-seek-to-deny-justice-for-victims-of-sexual-abuse.html

As citizens from every corner of this nation rightfully raise their voices crying out against grave injustices is it not clear that abuse of power, lack of transparency and the failure to hold accountable those who abuse their trust inflicts immeasurable harm on the fabric of our society? One need not look far to see some parallels between recent national protests and the Catholic church’s sexual abuse scandal; sacred institutions betrayed the trust of the people they are here to protect and serve.

For the better part of two decades, victims of sexual abuse pleaded with state lawmakers to fix New Jersey’s outdated statute of limitation laws. Several bills came and went as our New Jersey Catholic bishops hired high powered lobbyists and their own arsenal of attorneys from the Catholic Conference to oppose such measures at every opportunity.

Finally, in 2019, the state greatly expanded rights for both child and adult victims of sexual assault and provides a two-year window for victims of past abuse to have recourse. The passage of that bill provided one of the best laws in the country ensuring victims once locked out of our courts would now have access to our justice system. It also enabled victims to hold accountable all the institutions that had hid or harbored known predators or failed to protect new victims from those who would prey upon the young.

Further, the state’s attorney general announced an ongoing investigation of clergy abuse perpetrated upon children. In addition, the truth of what powerful institutions like our churches -- Scouting organizations, colleges, universities, choir schools or athletic associations -- had hidden in the past will not remain hidden much longer.

Facing the reality that the new law and statewide investigation will bring greater awareness and allow many victims to come forward through the legal process, our bishops were finally compelled to act. They said they were sorry, and wanted to be transparent as they released a limited list of clerics who abused children.

While many other bishops in the U.S. decided to publish all known to have served within their diocese, New Jersey’s Catholic bishops not only excluded religious clerics but also decided to not publish the names of several diocesan clerics known to have abused others. Further, they also limited the information as to where these clerics served when the abuse was perpetrated, the exact number of victims they are aware of, and the specific nature of the abuse.

When New Jersey bishops released their lists, Cardinal Joseph Tobin, who heads the Newark Archdiocese, said “We want to display an on-going commitment to be transparent and help bring healing to victims — and then, concurrently, to try to restore trust in the leadership of the Catholic church.”

So one must ask, why last month a New Jersey Catholic institution of Benedictine Monks, who operate the Delbarton School and have acknowledged an appalling amount of sexual abuse committed by their clerics against young students, took action in Morris County Superior Court to deny EVERY sexual abuse victim in New Jersey, anyone abused as a child or an adult, by any predator, not just clergy, by asking the court to find the new law “unconstitutional”? The judge in this case made it abundantly clear, the new law and the window of justice it created was in fact constitutional. We have seen the same efforts in other states recently, too, New York, Pennsylvania and again just last week in Rhode Island as Catholic institutions work overtime to reverse a national trend extending victims’ rights.

Who can believe such actions in New Jersey are taken without the knowledge of and/or blessing of our leading Catholic bishops and cardinals? Why do our church officials continue to say one thing while doing the opposite behind the scenes? They call their efforts healing and transparent, it is anything but transparent, open and honest.

Cardinal Tobin has had many opportunities now to clean up the mess he inherited yet it appears partial truths and legal tactics to avoid full disclosure remain the order of the day. Justice and truth will not be denied forever.

Mark Crawford is the New Jersey State Director of SNAP - Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests. He is also a survivor of clergy abuse and national advocate.

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