Under mounting pressure to identify clergy accused of sexual misconduct, New Jersey’s five Catholic dioceses opened their files Wednesday and released the names of every priest and deacon “credibly accused” of sexually abusing a child over multiple decades.
There are 188 names on the lists from the five dioceses. Of those, more than 100 are dead.
The lists include 63 priests and deacons accused in the Archdiocese of Newark, 57 in the Diocese of Camden, 30 in the Diocese of Trenton, 28 in the Diocese of Paterson and 11 in the Diocese of Metuchen. (One priest was listed on both the Newark and Paterson lists.)
The full list of named priests and deacons is at the bottom of this post.
“In an effort to do what is right and just, we are publishing the names of diocesan clergy credibly accused of sexual abuse of minors in the Archdiocese of Newark. This list of names is the result of an extensive review of archdiocesan records dating back to 1940. All names were previously reported to law enforcement agencies,” said Cardinal Joseph Tobin, head of the Archdiocese of Newark.
Dioceses around the country have been releasing similar lists of accused priests in recent months. New Jersey is the first state in the nation where every diocese in the state released its lists on the same day.
The dioceses voluntarily released the lists, though the release comes as New Jersey’s attorney general’s office has set up a task force to investigate priest sexual abuse and look into whether the Catholic Church improperly handled allegations of abuse.
“While this is a positive first step towards transparency and accountability, I hope this spirit of openness continues during the course of our ongoing investigation and in response to our requests for records and information,” said Gurbir Grewal, the state’s attorney general.
“Despite the recent actions by the dioceses, our investigation remains ongoing because no institution or individual is immune from accountability,” Grewal added.
The five dioceses have already collaborated to create a new compensation fund, unveiled earlier this week, to pay alleged victims settlements in exchange for not filing the lawsuits against the church.
The lists of accused priests include many who have died, in addition to those removed from ministry and stripped of their standing as clergy. However, most of the lists include little information about what the priests were accused of and whether they were moved from parish to parish or permitted to continue to serve with children after they were accused.
Several of the dioceses also failed to list which parishes the accused priests served in, making it difficult for parishioners to look up their churches.
In the Diocese of Trenton, a spokeswoman said church officials are still working on adding information to its list, which only included the name of the accused priests, their dates of birth, ordination date and their current status.
“As of today, we are still in the review and verification process, which is why Bishop O’Connell has been clear in presenting this as a preliminary list. We will update the list as soon as possible,” said Rayanne Bennett, a spokeswoman for the Diocese of Trenton.
The Diocese of Paterson said it also plans to add the locations where priests served to its list.
“We anticipate that the list on the website will be supplemented in the ensuing days, once we are satisfied with 100 percent accuracy," said Richard Sokerka, a spokesman for the Diocese of Paterson.
Some of the names on the Archdiocese of Newark list include:
--Former Cardinal Theodore McCarrick, the former head of the Archdiocese of Newark and the Diocese of Metuchen, is the highest-ranking priest on the list. McCarrick stepped down from ministry and gave up his cardinal title last year after he was accused of sexual misconduct with several priests and seminary students and the abuse of minors. He is awaiting a church trial.
--Rev. John Capparelli, who was ordained in 1980, was accused of repeatedly groping teenage boys in the 1970s and 1980s while active in ministry. He later worked as a public school math teacher in the Newark school district after he was removed from ministry. He agreed to the revocation of his teaching license in 2013.
--Rev. Michael Fugee, who worked in parishes in Newark, Rochelle Park, Short Hills and Wyckoff, was removed from ministry in March 2014 by the Vatican for repeatedly defying a lifetime ban on working with children. Fugee was accused of attending youth retreats and hearing confessions from minors despite signing a court-sanctioned decree forbidding such activities. His case was outlined in a report in The Star-Ledger in April 2013.
--Rev. Peter Cheplic, who was accused of molesting four teenage boys in the 1970s and 1980s. He repeatedly denied the accusations, but the Archdiocese of Newark removed him from ministry in 2006. In 2013 ,The Star-Ledger found Cheplic living with at least seven other alleged sexual predators in a Rutherford retirement home.
The release of the lists come after New Jersey’s five dioceses — Newark, Camden, Paterson, Metuchen and Trenton —announced Monday the establishment of a victim compensation fund and counseling program for victims of sexual abuse by clergy and other church employees.
The New Jersey attorney general’s office began an investigation last year into how the state’s five dioceses handled sexual abuse allegations. The attorney general’s task force has set up a hotline-- (855) 363-6548 -- for alleged victims to report abuse.
The lists included only the names of priests and deacons who worked within the New Jersey dioceses. The names of other New Jersey clergy members accused of abuse, including Jesuit priests, Benedictine monks and those who worked at schools and organizations run by religious orders are not expected to be included on the lists.
Tobin said the release of the New Jersey dioceses lists is part of big changes in the church.
“The disclosure of this list of names is not an endpoint in our process. Rather, it is an expression of our commitment to protecting our children, and a new level of transparency in the way we report and respond to allegations of abuse. We must protect our children, first, foremost and always,” Tobin said.
Some critics said they were pleased to see the Catholic Church opening up its files on abuse allegations, but they were skeptical church leaders were being truly transparent.
"Given the vast number of priests named as sexual abusers and the span of time in which the sexual abuse took place it is fair to state that the archdiocese and dioceses in New Jersey have forgotten how to be moral and kind with children,” said Mitchell Garabedian, a Boston attorney portrayed in the film “Spotlight”. He has represented more than 50 alleged victims of sexual abuse in cases against the Catholic Church in New Jersey.
State Sen. Joseph Vitale, D-Middlesex, a long-time advocate for victims of abuse, who has also pushed to eliminate New Jersey’s limits on civil lawsuits involving child sex abuse complaints against priests, wondered whether some priests may be left off the lists.
“I think this list is decades overdue,” Vitale said. “I’m appreciative that they’ve revealed these names, particularly for those who may have been their victims. Time will tell whether this list is complete.”
Kelly Heyboer may be reached at kheyboer@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @KellyHeyboer. Find her at KellyHeyboerReporter on Facebook. Find NJ.com on Facebook.
Ted Sherman may be reached at tsherman@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @TedShermanSL. Facebook:@TedSherman.reporter. Find NJ.com on Facebook.
Have a tip? Tell us. nj.com/tips
Get the latest updates right in your inbox. Subscribe to NJ.com’s newsletters.