NEW JERSEY
NJ.com
[letter from the Newark archdiocese]
By Mark Mueller | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com
on October 27, 2015
Decades-old sexual abuse allegations against a prominent Short Hills pastor will be referred to the Vatican for further investigation — and a possible canonical trial — after a church review board found sufficient merit in the claims to raise “grave concerns,” according to a letter distributed to parishioners.
Msgr. George Trabold, 68, stepped down as leader of St. Rose of Lima Church in October 2014, when someone came forward with an abuse claim that dates to the mid-1970s. At the time of the alleged abuse, Trabold served as associate pastor of St. John the Evangelist Church in Bergenfield.
The two-page letter, which was shared with parishioners at both parishes Sunday, reveals for the first time the existence of a second accuser. The letter does not describe the nature or extent of the alleged abuse, and a spokesman for Newark Archbishop John J. Myers said he could not comment on the specifics of the case.
Trabold has been barred from serving as a priest since his removal and will remain out of ministry while the Vatican’s Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith considers his case, according to the letter and the spokesman, Jim Goodness.
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.