NEW JERSEY
Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests
POSTED BY DAVID CLOHESSY ON MAY 21, 2013
For immediate release: Monday, May 20
Statement by David Clohessy of St. Louis, Director of SNAP, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (314 566 9790, SNAPclohessy@aol.com)
Fr. Michael Fugee, a Catholic priest of the Newark Archdiocese, has been arrested. He admitted molesting a child, recanted, was tried and convicted. His conviction was overturned on a technicality, and he and his church supervisors promised prosecutors that he would not be around kids. Then, weeks ago, the Newark Star Ledger disclosed that this agreement had been repeatedly and flagrantly violated.
Arresting Fr. Fugee is a ‘no brainer.’ The real issue: will Archbishop Myers be arrested too? We hope so. He’s just as guilty of violating the prosecutor’s deal as Fr. Fugee. We are grateful that Fr. Fugee will, finally, be kept away from kids, even if it’s just for a few hours.
But Archbishop Myers has violated the prosecutor’s agreement too. We urge law enforcement to pursue him too. If kids are to be truly safe, law enforcement must go after those who conceal and enable child sex crimes, not just those who commit child sex crimes.
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