NEWARK (NJ)
The Star-Ledger
By Kevin Manahan/The Star-Ledger
NEWARK — When five men filed a lawsuit in March 2011, alleging they were sexually abused by the Rev. John Laferrera as youngsters, the monsignor of St. Philomena Roman Catholic Church in Livingston took a voluntary leave of absence and pledged to use all of his energy to clear his name.
In a letter to his congregation, Laferrera vowed to prove his innocence and blamed his sabbatical on “many in the public” who “take any statement at face value, especially if it’s lurid.”
But the Archdiocese of Newark quietly reached a six-figure settlement with six alleged victims last month and Laferrera, 65, was stripped of his collar and sent into retirement, The Star-Ledger has learned.
“He is no longer administering,” archdiocese spokesman Jim Goodness said Friday. “He is out of the ministry. Aside from that, I can’t provide any more discussion.”
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