NEW JERSEY
The Jersey Journal
Tuesday, March 21, 2006
By JASON DEL REY
JOURNAL STAFF WRITER
A priest accused of sexual misconduct who served at four Hudson County parishes has retired and the Archdiocese of Newark has ended its investigation into the allegations, a spokesman said yesterday.
Monsignor Peter Cheplic, 60, who most recently worked at St. Henry's Church in Bayonne, retired "with no faculties," meaning he can never again work as a priest, said Archdiocese spokesman Jim Goodness.
An exception could be made if there is an emergency in which someone is dying and Cheplic is the only one who could hear confession or perform a baptism, Goodness said.
An announcement of the retirement was printed this past weekend in churches where Cheplic worked. He had been on temporary leave since August.
According to the announcement, Cheplic "still maintains his innocence" and "felt that by removing himself from the ministry, he could encourage everyone to begin to heal from this ordeal."