Dioceses in the state of New Jersey made public on February 13 the names of priests whom they said had been “credibly accused” of sexual abuse of minors, and one of the names is former US Cardinal Theodore McCarrick.
The former US cardinal’s name appears in the list from the Archdiocese of Newark with a footnote that says Archbishop McCarrick “has been included on the list based on the findings of the Archdiocese of New York that allegations of abuse of a minor against then Father McCarrick were credible and substantiated”.
The longest list is from the Archdiocese of Newark, which lists 63 priests among the total of 188, which includes clergy from the dioceses of Trenton, Paterson, Camden and Metuchen.
The Diocese of Metuchen also notes in its disclosure that its first bishop, then-Bishop McCarrick, is “currently involved in a church trial by the Holy See for the abuse of a minor when he was a priest of the Archdiocese of New York”.
“The revelations of clergy sexual abuse of minors throughout this past year have provoked feelings of shock, anger, shame, and deep sorrow throughout our Catholic community,” Cardinal Joseph W. Tobin of Newark said in a news release accompanying the list from his archdiocese.
“Victims, their families, and the faithful are rightfully outraged over the abuses perpetrated against minors. Additionally, the failure of church leadership to immediately remove suspected abusers from ministry is particularly reprehensible,” he said.
