NEW JERSEY
The Star-Ledger
By Mark Mueller/The Star-Ledger
on May 02, 2013 at 8:54 PM, updated May 02, 2013 at 9:09 PM
The Roman Catholic priest at the center of a public furor enveloping Newark Archbishop John J. Myers has been removed from ministry, a spokesman for the archdiocese said tonight.
The Rev. Michael Fugee, who attended youth retreats and heard confessions from minors in defiance of a lifetime ban on such behavior, submitted his request to leave ministry today afternoon, said the spokesman, Jim Goodness. Myers promptly accepted Fugee’s request, Goodness said.
Fugee, 52, will remain a priest — only the Vatican may grant a leave from that role — but will no longer have authority to represent himself as a priest, say Mass or perform any Sacramental work, Goodness said.
Asked if Myers had requested that Fugee step aside, Goodness said, “I only know that he offered to leave ministry and the archbishop accepted.”
Under the terms of a 2007 agreement with the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office, Fugee is not permitted to have unsupervised contact with children, minister to children or hold any position in which children are involved.
Note: This is an Abuse Tracker excerpt. Click the title to view the full text of the original article. If the original article is no longer available, see our News Archive.