NEW JERSEY
The Record
MARCH 18, 2014
EVEN IN death, the Archdiocese of Newark puts the interests of its institutional self above the people it is charged to serve. Its new funeral policy for priests who were removed from ministry on sexual abuse accusations is designed to shield the families of these priests, as well as the Catholic Church, from unwanted publicity. The victims of sexual abuse do not matter.
The policy approved by Archbishop John Myers is skewed toward the clergy. In a letter to priests, the vicar general for the archdiocese writes that the policy “allows for sensitivity to the family of the deceased priest as well as to avoid possible negative publicity or further embarrassment to the family and the Church.”
To further ensure that there is little negative publicity, no publication of the date, time or location of the funeral will be made to the public. The deceased priest — assuming he has not been defrocked — can be buried in clerical vestments.
These now-deceased men were removed from ministry for a reason: credible sexual abuse allegations. The Newark Archdiocese has a terrible history in dealing with abusive priests. Given that, it is impossible to understand why its first concern still is to be sensitive to feelings of these deceased priests’ families. These men are responsible for what they did. If they brought shame onto themselves, the church and their families, that is their own doing. Where is the sensitivity for the victims of their behaviors?
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