NEW JERSEY
The Record
FRIDAY MAY 10, 2013
BY JEFF GREEN
STAFF WRITER
THE RECORD
At a time when the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Newark is the focus of intense scrutiny over its handling of a priest accused of molesting a child, the diocese representing parishes in Passaic and Morris counties is asking for information about “inappropriate behavior” by the cleric, who was barred for life from working around children.
The Diocese of Paterson, in an unusual move, prominently posted on its website a message asking members of the public to report any information about the priest’s attendance at youth retreats — in apparent defiance of a legal ban on such action — within its three-county territory.
Bergen County prosecutors are investigating the Rev. Michael Fugee, who allegedly molested a Wyckoff teenager more than a decade ago, for possibly violating an agreement he signed with the archdiocese promising never to minister to children.
But it recently was revealed that Fugee joined several youth group excursions, including one to a retreat house at Lake Hopatcong in Morris County, within the Paterson Diocese. The diocese said in a statement, placed at the top of its website, that officials only know of that one event, which was in 2010, but they are encouraging anyone with information about “inappropriate behavior” on Fugee’s part to inform diocesan staff.
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