The five Catholic dioceses in New Jersey released on Wednesday the entire list of clergy who stand credibly accused of sexual abuse against children. The list of names came after an extensive review of diocesan records, according to Cardinal Joseph Tobin, Archbishop of Newark. Here is the full list of names released by the dioceses of Newark, Metuchen, Paterson, Camden and Trenton.<doc-sep>Five Roman Catholic dioceses in New Jersey on Wednesday released the names of 188 clergy members who have been accused of sexually abusing children dating back decades, including a former cardinal facing defrocking by the Vatican. The disclosure was the result of an internal investigation of archdiocese records and all of the priests and deacons listed have previously been reported to law enforcement and none remain in the ministry, Newark Archbishop Cardinal Joseph Tobin said in a statement. “It is our sincerest hope that this disclosure will help bring healing to those whose lives have been so deeply violated,” he said, noting some of the abuse dates back to 1940. New Jersey Attorney General Gurbir Grewal formed a task force in September to investigate allegations of sexual abuse by members of the clergy in his state, along with any efforts to cover up such abuse. “I am pleased to see that our task force’s grand jury investigation has prompted the dioceses to finally take some measures to hold predator priests accountable,” Grewal said in a statement on Wednesday. “Our investigation remains ongoing,” he said, adding, “We anticipate taking criminal action wherever appropriate.” Grewal could not be reached for further comment. “SOLACE TO SURVIVORS” The Newark Archdiocese released the names of 63 clergy members, 33 who are deceased and 33 who are accused of having multiple victims. Some of the deceased are among those accused of having multiple victims. The Paterson Diocese had 28 clerics on its list, the Camden Diocese listed 57 clerics, the Trenton Diocese had 30 and the Metuchen Diocese listed 11 clergy. One priest on the Newark list also appeared on the Paterson list. “We hope that seeing these names in print will bring solace to survivors and let victims who may still be suffering in silence find the strength to come forward,” the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests said in a statement. Former cardinal Theodore McCarrick, who rose to be a power broker in the American Church as archbishop of Washington, D.C., from 2001 to 2006, was among the clergy members on the Newark list. He has previously responded publicly to one of the allegations, saying he has “absolutely no recollection” of an alleged case of sexual abuse of a 16-year-old boy more than 50 years ago. He has not responded publicly to separate allegations by several priests and ex-priests. McCarrick resigned last year and is living in seclusion in a remote friary in Kansas. He will likely be dismissed from the priesthood, which would make him the highest profile Roman Catholic figure to be defrocked in modern times, according to Vatican sources. Reporting by Brendan O'Brien in Milwaukee; editing by Bill Tarrantand Leslie Adler<doc-sep>WOODLAND PARK, N.J. – New Jersey's Roman Catholic dioceses on Wednesday released the names of 188 priests and deacons who have been credibly accused of sexually abusing children over decades, the result of an internal review that was spurred by a law enforcement investigation announced last year. The Newark Archdiocese posted a list of 63 names Wednesday morning that included 33 priests who are deceased. Some of the priests had one victim, according to the list, but 33 had multiple victims. Eight of the living priests, all of whom are alleged to have abused more than one person, have been defrocked. The state’s other four dioceses, in Paterson, Metuchen, Trenton and Camden, posted their lists shortly after noon. The Paterson Diocese put up a list of 28 clerics, including one priest who was also listed by Newark. Camden had 57 names, Trenton had 30 and Metuchen had 11. Most of the priests on the lists have died, though 79 are living. Bishops said in letters that none of the priests are working in their dioceses. Cardinal Theodore McCarrick, the highest-ranking American Catholic official to have been removed from ministry, was the most prominent name on the Newark list. Pope Francis accepted his resignation last year. Full list of names:New Jersey priests accused of sexually abusing children Feb. 13:What can Southern Baptists do after sex-crime reports? Here are some ideas McCarrick is a former leader of the Metuchen Diocese and the archdioceses in Newark and Washington, D.C. Church leaders in New Jersey acknowledged last year that he had been accused of sexual abuse by three adults in the state, and that two of the cases had resulted in confidential legal settlements. The Newark Archdiocese said on its website that it included McCarrick on its list based on allegations that he sexually abused a teenager nearly 50 years ago, when he was a priest in New York. The archdiocese said the accusation had been deemed "credible and substantiated" by church officials in New York State. Cardinal Joseph Tobin, head of the Newark Archdiocese, said in an interview on Wednesday that church leaders "don't see this publication as an end point," and that it would continue to publish the names of any priests or deacons who are credibly accused "of sexual misconduct with a minor." Tobin wrote a letter to Catholics across the region on Wednesday saying that the publishing of the names was part of "an effort to do what is right and just." He said the list was compiled during an "extensive review" of records dating to 1940. None of the priests are currently in ministry, and all had been reported to law enforcement, he wrote. "It is our sincerest hope that this disclosure will help bring healing to those whose lives have been so deeply violated," he wrote in the letter, which was posted on the archdiocese website. "We also pray that this can serve as an initial step in our efforts to help restore your trust in the leadership of the Catholic Church." Some seek more accountability New Jersey Attorney General, Gurbir Grewal noted in a statement that the lists were made public in response to the creation by his office last year of a statewide task force to investigate allegations of sexual abuse by clergy members in Catholic dioceses across the state. "I am pleased to see that our task force’s grand jury investigation has prompted the dioceses to finally take some measures to hold predator priests accountable," he wrote. "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." He wrote that the task force tip line has received hundreds of calls, indicating that the full scope of the problem has not yet been revealed. A Pennsylvania grand jury last year identified 300 abusive clerics and 1,000 victims in that state. Four of the priests had worked for a time in New Jersey. Advocates for people who have been abused by priests said the lists did not go far enough and that they have long called for the state's dioceses to release files related to accused priests. "What it doesn't tell us is when they learned of the allegations," said Mark Crawford, head of the New Jersey chapter of the Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests, known as SNAP. "The victims need to know: Did I need to be victimized? That's a glaring omission." Priests were directed to talk to their parishioners about the matter, and it's expected to come up during Sunday services. Feb. 11:Investigation finds decades of abuse in Southern Baptist Convention Dec. 19:Illinois Catholic church allegedly failed to investigate 500 priest sex abuse allegations A new name One of the names released on Wednesday was a surprise, because the Newark Archdiocese had not previously announced his status. The Rev. Gerald Sudol was identified in the list as having abused multiple victims and as having been permanently removed from ministry. He had been cleared of a prior allegation, but he stepped down last year from his position as reverend in residence at Our Lady of Czestochowa Catholic Church in Jersey City after a new accuser came forward. Shortly after the archdiocese acknowledged that it was looking into the allegation, another accuser came forward. That accuser, Ed Hanratty, said Sudol's sexual misconduct was well-known among parishioners of St. Francis of Assisi Church in Ridgefield Park, where Sudol served from 1986 to 1994. Hanratty, who was an altar server at the church, recalled Sudol giving him bear hugs and open-mouthed kisses, and trying to force his tongue into his mouth. “Transparency is always a good thing, but I can't help but question the sincerity," Hanratty said on Wednesday after the lists were published. "I think people should ask themselves: If it were not for the Pennsylvania grand jury report, or the revelations from last summer, would the church have released this information?" Familiar cases The lists, which were released individually by the state's five dioceses, included priests who were taken out of ministry over the past 15 years or so after a scandal that led to changes in the way the church deals with child abuse. It was anticipated that some – but not all – of the priests would be widely known because their removal from ministry was made public in the aftermath of that scandal. The Newark list included Michael Fugee, who was removed from ministry five years ago, only after the Bergen County Prosecutor's Office charged him with violating an agreement that he never again work with children. Archbishop John Myers, Tobin's predecessor as head of the Newark Archdiocese, had allowed Fugee to continue wearing the priestly collar and to live in a church rectory even after he to confessed to fondling a 13-year-old by at the Church of St. Elizabeth of Hungary in Wyckoff and was convicted in 2003 of aggravated criminal sexual contact. Fugee recanted his confession, and the charges were dismissed on a technicality – they were overturned by an appellate panel of judges who determined that the trial judge made an error in instructing the jury. Prosecutors did not retry Fugee but had him sign an agreement saying he would no longer work with children. Fugee later admitted to violating that agreement. Authorities said he attended youth retreats in Monmouth County and Nutley, and heard confessions from children on at least seven occasions between April 2010 and December 2012, including twice at Sacred Heart Parish in Rochelle Park, where church officials allowed him to live in the rectory. He also heard confessions from minors at Our Lady of the Visitation in Paramus. Fugee left Sacred Heart in early 2013 after NorthJersey.com and the USA TODAY Network New Jersey inquired about his living there. The charges were dropped after Fugee signed an agreement with prosecutors that he would never work with children again, would allow himself to be defrocked and would be monitored by law enforcement.<doc-sep>
Follow CBSPHILLY Facebook | Twitter NEWARK, N.J. (CBS/AP) — New Jersey’s five Roman Catholic dioceses listed more than 180 priests Wednesday who have been credibly accused of sexually abusing minors over a span of several decades, joining more than two dozen other states that have named suspected abusers in the wake of a landmark grand jury report in Pennsylvania last year. The lists released Wednesday identified priests and deacons who served in the dioceses of Camden, Trenton, Metuchen and Paterson and the archdiocese of Newark. Many priests on the lists are deceased, and others have been removed from ministry. Children Evacuated From Bucks County Elementary School After Fire Breaks Out Cardinal Joseph Tobin, the archbishop of Newark, which listed 63 former priests, said in a statement that he hoped the disclosure “will help bring healing to those whose lives have been so deeply violated.” Camden’s diocese listed 56 priests and one deacon; Trenton’s diocese named 30 priests; the Paterson diocese listed 28; and Metuchen’s diocese named nine plus two others who are currently the subject of civil investigations. Todd Kostrub says, starting at the age of 7, he was sexually abused by a Catholic clergyman in South Jersey. “It continued many years, all through grade school, and I just didn’t understand it,” said Kostrub. “It was disturbing. It was the most vile thing you could do to a child.” Attorney Greg Gianforcaro, who represents several abuse victims, says he believes the list is overdue and will empower many who have suffered in silence. “Now, for those victims who think they were the only ones abused by certain priests, are going to read that list and hopefully muster up the courage to come out and disclose it,” said Gianforcaro. Camden Diocese Accused Priests List While framing several times that the sexual abuse was mostly a problem in the past, Bishop Dennis Sullivan said in a statement, “To be certain, the darkest stain on the Catholic Church in the last century was the sexual abuse of minors by priests. Unfortunately, we have all learned that this ‘filth,’ as Pope Benedict correctly called it, was more pervasive than anyone imagined, or even thought possible. ” For some, the list may be shocking. Saint Rose of Lima parish in Haddon Heights had nine sexually abusive priests and ministers in their congregation over the years. Donna Tasca, who runs a bakery across the street from Saint Rose, says she’s disgusted. “As a Catholic, I won’t contribute anymore to the church because all you’re doing is paying for their lawyers,” said Tasca. State Attorney General Gurbir Grewal formed a task force in the fall to conduct a criminal investigation into sexual abuse by clergy in the state, shortly after a Pennsylvania grand jury report identified over 300 predator priests and more than 1,000 victims in that state. “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,” Grewal said in a statement Wednesday. Trenton Diocese Accused Priests List Newark’s list includes Theodore McCarrick, a former Newark archbishop who served as Washington, D.C., archbishop from 2000 to 2006. McCarrick was removed from public ministry in June. The lists released by the diocese don’t include details about specific allegations or when they are alleged to have happened; rather, any details about the named priests and the crimes of which they are accused come from court records or previously published reports. Several priests who served in the Newark archdiocese have been accused of molesting boys as part of their volunteer work with Boy Scout troops, according to published reports. Others named in the release were arrested, convicted or pleaded guilty and were returned to service after probation or treatment, according to court records and published reports. Carmen Sita changed his name to Gerald Howard after being sentenced to probation and receiving treatment and began serving as a priest in the Jefferson City, Missouri, diocese where he was assigned to a parish attached to a school. He was later accused of abusing teenage boys and was convicted a second time. The Missouri diocese reported Howard is currently incarcerated. Philadelphia Police Investigating After Shots Fired At SEPTA Subway Station Former priest Richard Mieliwocki, who was convicted and sentenced to probation, disappeared after starting counseling and resurfaced when he was accused of molesting teenagers as a counselor in an in-patient substance abuse program.