Victims Don't Buy Predator's New Statement

By David Clohessy
SNAP
May 3, 2013

http://www.snapnetwork.org/nj_victims_don_t_buy_predator_s_new_statement

We don't believe him. If he'll lie to protect himself, he'll also lie to protect Archbishop Myers who has so long protected him.

Ministry and retreats and church trips are group efforts. Other priests, parishioners and church employees helped Fr. Fugee get access to kids. Fr. Fugee's seemingly noble claim that all of this is his fault "alone" just doesn't hold water.

Today, Archbishop Myers’ spokesman claims that after the deal with the prosecutor, “the Archdiocese did not assign Fr. Fugee to any post involving ministry with minors.” This is simply not true. Myers quietly put Fr. Fugee in a hospital chaplaincy, and informed no one at the hospital about Fr. Fugee’s past. Kids, of course, come and go and stay in hospitals.

“His assignments were supervised administrative positions located at the Archdiocesan Center,” says Myers’ spokesman. Again, not true. He deliberately ignores the hospital chaplaincy, which only ended when it was disclosed by the Newark Star Ledger.

“Fr. Fugee was under continual supervision during the exercise of these ministerial duties,” Myers’ spokesman claims. How can anyone “continually supervise” another person 24/7?

What matters is not where Archbishop Myers technically assigned Fr. Fugee to be. What matters is what Archbishop Myers actually let Fr. Fugee do – be around kids. However he tries to spin it, Archbishop Myers can’t deny two simple facts. First, Archbishop Myers is legally and morally responsible for keeping Fr. Fugee away from kids. Second, Archbishop Myers didn’t do this and, in fact, by design and by omission, he put and let Fr. Fugee be around kids.

Whether I give, loan or sell a gun to a known criminal, I’m responsible. All the hair-splitting and word-parsing and blame-shifting can’t obscure my irresponsible behavior. And that’s just as true about Archbishop Myers and his irresponsible dealings with Fr. Fugee and other predator priests.