NEW JERSEY
Patch
By JASON KOESTENBLATT (Patch Staff)
November 16, 2015
More than two years after being suspended by the Diocese of Metuchen for an alleged child sex assault that occurred in the 1970s, Msgr. Raymond Cole has been reinstated.
In a letter to the parish of St. Joseph Church in Hillsborough, Bishop Paul G. Bootkoski explained that Cole underwent a church trial, consisting of three clergy members from outside the Diocese of Metuchen.
The tribunal, after hearing charges of sexual abuse of a minor against Cole, returned a not guilty verdict, the letter said.
“I am satisfied that they conducted the trial in an impartial and professional manner,” Bootkoski wrote. “While there can be neither victory nor victor in a situation such as this, the outcome of the trial means that Msgr. Cole is again a priest in good standing in the Diocese and I hope this decision will be the first step in fully restoring his reputation.”
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