NEW JERSEY
The Star-Ledger
By Star-Ledger Editorial Board
on March 21, 2014
Michael Fugee is no longer a Catholic priest, and that is right and just. Not only did he confess to fondling a teenage boy, he repeatedly broke a binding legal agreement to stay away from other children. The man is a menace.
But what about Newark Archbishop John J. Myers? As usual, the foot soldier is punished, and the general gets a free pass. This has been the pattern in the sexual abuse crisis in the Catholic Church.
It is particularly offensive in this case because Myers’ representative signed a legally binding document with Bergen County prosecutors promising to keep Fugee away from children. That agreement was broken repeatedly, as Fugee attended retreats with children, heard their confessions and conducted services.
After The Star-Ledger’s Mark Mueller reported all this, Bergen County Prosecutor John Molinelli opened an investigation. In a plea bargain, he agreed to spare Fugee jail time in return for the promise that Fugee would be defrocked as a priest and submit to supervision by law enforcement officials.
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