NEWARK (NJ)
Star Ledger
February 14, 2019
By S.P. Sullivan
After decades of relative silence, New Jersey’s five Catholic dioceses on Wednesday identified 188 priests credibly accused of sexual abuse against children. The disclosures come amid an ongoing state grand jury investigation expected to identify pedophile clergy and reveal whether there were any efforts to cover up their abuse.
Among the priests identified, 110 are dead. More than 75 had been removed from ministry as a result of their behavior, including some of the deceased. Two were listed as “whereabouts unknown. The records date back to the 1940′s and it is not known how many clergy were ever charged criminally.
But even with the release of the list, legal experts say it is unlikely many be prosecuted even though the state attorney general in New Jersey has launched its own sweeping investigation into allegations of sexual abuse. If similar efforts in other states are any indication, the inquiry could more likely prompt a hard look at systemic failures to stop abuse than put large numbers of priests in prison.
Former law enforcement officials and advocates for sexual assault survivors say clergy abuse cases are among the most difficult to prosecute for several reasons.
It was not unusual decades ago for victims to decide not to report abuse because they were skeptical that there would be consequences. And when victims did come forward in decades past, their complaints were frequently not turned over to authorities by church officials. Also, the lack of witnesses or corroborating evidence complicates criminal convictions further.
Even in Pennsylvania, where Attorney General Josh Shapiro last year published an unprecedented report naming more than 300 priests accused of abusing more than 1,000 children, just three clerics have been criminally charged.
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