NEW JERSEY
Asbury Park Press
Editorial
It’s time for Newark Archbishop John J. Myers to step down. He has turned a blind eye to legally binding agreements that forbid the Rev. Michael Fugee, who was convicted of groping a teenage boy, from working with children.
Myers has shown an appalling lack of judgment and willful misreading of a binding agreement Fugee entered into with the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office six years ago. The agreement said he would not work in any position involving children, would have no affiliation with youth groups or attend youth retreats, and would not hear the confessions of minors.
Fugee agreed to the deal to avoid being retried on charges that he fondled the genitals of a 14-year-old boy during wrestling matches on two occasions.
And yet, despite the clear order, he has been working with children, attending weekend youth retreats in Marlboro and at Lake Hopatcong, according to The Star-Ledger. Fugee also has traveled with members of the youth group of St. Mary’s Roman Catholic Church in Colts Neck on an annual pilgrimage to Canada. At all three locations, he reportedly heard confessions from minors behind closed doors.
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