CLIFTON The horrific revelations of a sex abuse cover-up that have shaken the Church this summer — with decades-old allegations leveled against retired Archbishop Theodore McCarrick and a grand jury report that details the supposed crimes against children over more than 70 years by some 300 priests in Pennsylvania — have prompted anguished yet resolute responses not only by Pope Francis and prelates, such as Bishop Serratelli, but also from local clergy in parishes in the Diocese.
In a sampling of the responses, which represent a small portion of statements by priests across the Diocese, The Beacon has found that priests have been echoing the sentiments of their faithful as they acknowledged the pain felt by the victims and expressed disgust over the abuse by clergy and the cover-up by some in Church leadership. Many priests also called on the Church leadership to seek justice for the victims and to improve its child-protection policies and procedures.
After the Attorney General of Pennsylvania released the grand jury report, many local priests issued their statements in their parish bulletins, in talks from the pulpit at Mass, by email or on social media. One parish posted a video of the pastor’s response on Facebook, while another pastor held a face-to-face meeting with parishioners to share their thoughts and feelings and to pray about it. A few New Jersey priests were listed in the scathing Pennsylvania report, but no priests of the Paterson Diocese were named in the 900-page report.
“The Pennsylvania Grand Jury Report…was profoundly upsetting to every person of good will. The abuses described in the report are criminal and morally reprehensible. They show a heartbreaking departure from our fundamental belief in the dignity and value of every child. As a Church, we are called to provide an environment where our children and all encounter leaders who exemplify God’s commandment to love and protect the most vulnerable. The Church today has and continues to learn hard lessons from its past, as we hold accountable abusers and those who permitted these abuses to occur,” Bishop Serratelli wrote in a statement published in The Beacon on Aug. 23 , which was also posted on the diocesan Website and mailed to the faithful.
In it, Bishop Serratelli stated that New Jersey’s Catholic dioceses “have made concrete changes and reforms.” They have conducted some 380,000 criminal background checks of all diocesan and parish personnel who have regular contact with minors and integrated a comprehensive program of reporting abuse to civil authorities, compensating and counseling victims, and implementing rigorous protocols and training for more than 2.3 million clergy, employees, volunteers and children.” The Paterson Diocese has “reported every single accusation of child abuse to prosecutors since 2002,” he said.
The crisis prompted Msgr. Raymond Lopatesky, director of the diocesan Ministry to Retired Priests, to say in a homily he gave Aug. 26 that “Sexual abuse of minors is evil and diabolical. To me, and to most of us, it is the most heinous of crimes…the sexual abuse scandal has been the worst crisis in the history of the American Catholic Church. The media coverage, subsequent disillusionment and passion aroused by the scandal have no parallel…In this atmosphere, especially when it includes cover-up by some bishops, it is not surprising that victims are ineradicably angry…Their anger is understandable.” He said that the scandal has filled faithful and clergy alike “with indignation.”
Msgr. Lopatesky urged the faithful to remember: “The Church is founded on faith in Jesus Christ.” Although it consists of human beings, “the Church does not belong to the Pope, the bishops or the priests. It is our Church. We must not abandon her, because of the vile actions of the few.” He called on the Church to seek justice for the victims and appropriate punishment for the perpetrators and to establish a comprehensive program of prevention and reporting to ensure a safe environment for all faithful to “learn and explore their faith,” he said.
“In 2,000 years, this Church of ours has seen more than its share of scandal. Somehow through the grace, guidance and power of God, we have survived, flourished and spread the Gospel of Jesus throughout the world,” Msgr. Lopatesky said. “Through the guidance of the Holy Spirit the Church must change. We must, in humility, kneel before Jesus and beg him to help us not sink into anger and hatred. We must pray for the victims, be steadfast in our faith and put our trust in him. If we don’t, the diabolical power of evil will have won. Brothers and sisters, we cannot — we must not — allow this to happen. Good must triumph over evil and together, we will continue to be and become the people of God, the Church, the true body of Christ here on this earth,” he said in his homily.
On the weekend of Aug. 25-26, Father Brian Quinn, pastor of St. Matthew the Apostle Parish, Randolph, spoke at Masses about the reports of alleged abuse, which he told his parishioners “sickened me greatly.” He noted that the crisis has caused many priests to feel ashamed to wear the collar in public — a feeling that he said he does not share because he has done nothing wrong and welcomes the extra scrutiny as a member of the clergy to keep everyone safe.
In his statement, Father Quinn said that the Church is “the people and the Eucharist, which is the source and summit of our faith. The Church is the Word of God and what we hear and have been taught to live,” the pastor said.
“If you feel that your voice needs to be heard, let those that need to know hear your concerns. Talk to any of the priests, let the Bishop know your concerns,” said Father Quinn, who urged people who have been victimized, to report the abuse. “Call for the change that is needed but never forget what your faith is and what the Church is. It is all of us, the people of God and our mission of evangelization, hope, love and mercy,” he said.
After the release of the grand jury report, the priests at Notre Dame of Mount Carmel Parish, Cedar Knolls, issued a joint statement, acknowledging that the news has “again shocked, angered and shamed the Church, the people of God.” Father Paddy O’Donovan, pastor, and Father Jhon Madrid, parochial vicar, issued the statement in the bulletin, while the parish also posted on Facebook a 14-minute video of Father O’Donovan addressing the matter during Mass. They quoted the response to the crisis by Pope Francis, who lamented: “The heartwrenching pain of these victims, which cries out to heaven, was long ignored, kept quiet or silenced. We [in the Church] showed no care for the little ones; we abandoned them.”
“To the victims, we offer not only a heartfelt and humble apology, but also a commitment to root out the culture of secrecy that protected offenders from culpability. We must be intentional and timely in implementing the changes that will ensure that our children, youth and adults are safe and honored with their God-given dignity,” the two priests wrote in their statement. “Our apologies are of little value if not aligned with real change in the regulations and practices of Church leadership. Oversight that includes the laity of the Church is essential. Clerics cannot, and should not, be their own arbiters of justice!” they wrote.
Father O’Donovan and Father Madrid pledged their commitment and that of Notre Dame’s pastoral leaders to ensuring that the parish “is a safe environment for all, especially our most vulnerable.” They concluded by stating, “Our way forward is with Jesus, Our Savior. Our path to healing and new beginnings must be grounded in prayer that leads to just actions, protecting the entire Body of Christ.”
At St. Vincent Martyr Parish, Madison, Msgr. George Hundt, pastor, invited people “to share their concerns and feelings about this grave issue” on Aug. 28 at 8 p.m. in the church. The gathering began and ended with prayer and included time for sharing and questions in between. The pastor told The Beacon that the parishioners’ “concerns extended beyond the protection of children to the accountability of the leaders in the Church. We all should be accountable,” he said.
One of the faithful at the gathering was Rinna Reyes Lin of Corpus Christi Parish, Chatham Township, who attends daily morning Mass at St. Vincent’s and knows many of its Mass-goers.
“Msgr. George was courageous. I give such respect to him for listening and hearing the people in his parish. The depth of emotion that the parishioners shared was amazing,” Reyes Lin said. “It breaks my heart to listen to good priests speaking about this crisis. I can hear it in their voices the pain and suffering that they are feeling as they speak. God bless Msgr. George and all the good priests,” she said.