‘purple Reign’ Falls on Catholic Church with Book’s Release

By Jane Meggitt
Examiner
July 24, 2012

http://exa.gmnews.com/news/2012-07-26/Front_Page/Purple_Reign_falls_on_Catholic_Church_with_books_r.html

Lorenzo “Larry” D’Oria (l-r), whose story is told in the book, and co-author Linda Alexander stand with Bruce Novozinsky, author of “Purple Reign.” PHOTO COURTESY OF BRUCE NOVOZINSKY

No one could accuse Bruce Novozinsky of backing away from a controversial subject.

With the publication of his book, “Purple Reign – Sexual Abuse and Abuse of Power in the Diocese of Trenton, New Jersey, 1972- 2011,” the township resident takes on no less an authority than the Catholic Church and its behavior in the priestly pedophilia scandals.

According to a website promoting the book, “Novozinsky’s unvarnished look at the clerical culture reveals pedophilia as but one facet of the larger crisis — sexually active priests breaking their vows of celibacy with each other; the shielding of clergy through transfers, forced resignations, legal technicalities and prosecutorial deals; the Church’s attempted blame shift to homosexuality and society’s sexual degeneracy; and the silence of victims, secured through the politics of power and intimidation.

“The legacy of a succession of local bishops is that they acted first to protect the institution over the victim and employed every means to spare the realm, demonstrating that the crisis played out no differently in the idyllic New Jersey suburbs than it did anywhere else,” according to the website.

“Those who made accusations against the predators … include a current school superintendent in New Jersey and a detective in the sex crimes unit of a major capital city along the eastern seaboard,” Novozinsky said. “I stand by my work and those that came forward.”

According to the Diocese of Trenton, the book’s contents don’t hold water.

“From what we have seen, this book makes one outrageous claim after another and does not merit any serious person’s attention,” Rayanne Bennett, a spokesperson for the diocese, said.

“The Diocese of Trenton’s unconditional commitment to keeping children safe and assisting victims of sexual abuse by clergy is a matter of record. We take any allegations of abuse seriously, and respond swiftly and appropriately in accordance with our policy, which is published on our website,” she said.

Novozinsky said attorney Linda Vele Alexander, of Upper Freehold, took what he considers a good book and made it better.

“She not only looked into each and every legality, she researched small and obscure facts and findings as well as my many, many typos,” Novozinsky said. “I lost my sister in 2008 and she was my only sibling. I felt that loss until Linda came in and started looking out for me and this project as a guarded sister would.”

Jennifer Stampe, also of Upper Freehold, served as Novozinsky’s copy editor.

“The subject matter is obviously very difficult and controversial — things that Bruce does not shy away from,” Stampe said. “I admire his tenacity in confronting the issue of sexual abuse within the Catholic Church and, more specifically, within the Trenton Diocese.”

“Purple Reign – Sexual Abuse and Abuse of Power in the Diocese of Trenton, New Jersey, 1972-2011” is available through www.amazon.com or www.velenobooks.com.

Novozinsky’s website, www.novozinsky.com, states that all proceeds from the sale of the book will go to a Catholic charity that takes care of local families with direct donations.