ATLANTIC CITY (NJ)
The Press of Atlantic City
February 17, 2019
By Avalon Zoppo
Halfway through the Sunday service at St. James Church, prayers paused momentarily.
Rows of attendees turned their attention to a prerecorded message broadcast on two small TVs addressing the sex abuse scandal that has rocked the Catholic Church for decades, and that has now reached South Jersey.
The Diocese of Camden last Wednesday released the names of 56 priests and one deacon who had a history of sexually abusing minors. Of them, 47 were from Atlantic, Cape May and Cumberland counties. St. James Church had among the most reported abusers, with seven clergy members identified.
“These men are a disgrace. … Their despicable acts have wounded their victims, our church and the priesthood,” Bishop Dennis J. Sullivan said in a nine-minute video that played inside churches across South Jersey.
Other clergy members named had ties to Blessed Sacrament in Margate, Holy Spirit High School in Absecon, St. Vincent de Paul in Mays Landing, St. Joseph High School in Hammonton and Our Lady Star of the Sea in Atlantic City. A majority of them are dead and 12 have been removed from ministry. The status of two are unknown.
The bishop told parishioners that the diocese published the list for transparency, but said he hopes the credible allegations do not lessen anyone’s religious faith.
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