Many Dems Mum on Call for Newark Archbishop Myers to Quit

By John Reitmeyer, Herb Jackson And Charles Stile
The Record
May 3, 2013

http://www.northjersey.com/news/recordpolitics/205917721_Many_Dems_mum_on_call_for_Myers_to_quit.html

A day after their leading candidate for governor said the Newark archbishop should resign amid a priest child abuse scandal, fellow Democrats remained divided on the issue — with many not saying anything at all.

It's a marked change from a month ago, when top Democrats clamored in near unison for resignations at Rutgers University following the physical and verbal abuse of basketball players by a coach.

And it could represent the fear of potential backlash from Catholic voters with all 120 seats in the Democratic-controlled Legislature on the November ballot this year, or a sign that state Sen. Barbara Buono — who has clashed with party leaders in the past — does not yet have their full support.

Buono, a Democrat from Middlesex County who is challenging Governor Christie this year, said Newark Archbishop John J. Myers should step down, questioning his ability to lead after word that a priest seemingly broke his legally binding agreement with Bergen County prosecutors to never again be unsupervised with children, minister to children or work with children so long as he remained a priest.

The priest, Michael Fugee, has attended weekend retreats and extended pilgrimages with the youth ministry of St. Mary's parish in Colts Neck, in Monmouth County. Fugee resigned from his ministry position Thursday, according to a statement from the archdiocese.

Senate President Stephen Sweeney, D-Gloucester, called the questions about Myers "deeply disturbing," adding that "if true, he should resign immediately."

But Assembly Speaker Sheila Oliver, D-Essex, could not be reached to discuss the issue Thursday. She was one of the most vocal critics of how the Rutgers affair was handled. And state Democratic Party Chairman John Wisniewski declined to comment on the issue, through a spokeswoman.

Christie told reporters Thursday that he wants to first speak with Myers before passing judgment, adding that "what I'm repulsed by is jumping to conclusions."

"I will over the course of the next few days talk to Archbishop Myers," Christie said after a bill signing in Paterson. "Once I do, then I'm in a much better position to express an opinion on his tenure and his actions."

Myers spokesman Jim Goodness said the calls for Myers to resign are "reckless and rash."

"They reflect a total misunderstanding of a complex issue," he said. "They're making statements without a full foundation."

"We have adhered to the agreement with Father Fugee [and the prosecutors]. Father Fugee did things that were not approved by the archdiocese, and had we known about them, we certainly would not have permitted them."

Some Democrats shared Buono's concern and echoed her strong position.

"I think this needs to be taken seriously and dealt with," said U.S. Rep. Frank Pallone, D-Long Branch. "And to me it just seems the archbishop is brushing it under the rug."

Pallone said Myers' reaction so far appears to be taking a legal tack focusing on whether the agreement Fugee signed allowed him to be with children if there is supervision.

"It's clear he's not supposed to be with children, and they're not taking it seriously," Pallone said. "It's not good to have him with kids, supervised or not. If he doesn't understand that," Pallone said of Myers, "he needs to resign, leave, and put in someone who does."

Assemblywoman Valerie Vainieri Huttle, D-Englewood, called for Myers to resign in a newspaper opinion piece published Wednesday, saying he "may have confused turning the other cheek with turning a blind eye."

"He certainly breached that original agreement where the priest was not allowed to be in a position to come in contact with young children," Huttle said Thursday. "Why does the hierarchy continue to protect these priests?"

State Assembly Majority Leader Lou Greenwald, D-Camden, said he doesn't know all the facts of the case and stopped just short of calling for Myers' ouster as a result, but he said church officials should be using a "common-sense test."

"I don't care what organization you're a part of. … There should be zero tolerance for anyone who harbors an individual who has sexually abused or abused in any manner a child," he said. "That's a position we should all take."

But state Sen. Jeff Van Drew D-Cape May — sponsor of a bill that would eliminate the statute of limitations for child sex abuse cases — did not return a phone call.

Newark Mayor Cory Booker, considered a rising star among Democrats nationally, did not return requests for comment.

Longtime state Sen. Richard J. Codey, D-Essex, acknowledged the challenges for politicians posed by the priest case. He declined to weigh in personally on the Newark archdiocese's actions, but said it's "fair game."

"I mean, it's a church issue, and a moral issue, and I understand that," Codey said. "Nobody in society, whether you be Republican, Democrat, elected official or not, would idly stand by when our children are at risk."

In New Jersey, there are roughly 3.5 million Catholics, and their leaders wield political influence.

Monmouth University political science Professor Patrick Murray said the reluctance of some politicians to take a firm stand on the priest case comes down to a fear of voter backlash for taking on the church. But he said Catholics are not likely to punish politicians who challenge the church. New Jersey is roughly 40 percent Catholic, yet New Jersey voters support issues such as same-sex marriage and abortion with wide enough margins that must include some Catholic voters.

"Catholic voters don't vote the way they're told to from the pulpit," Murray said. "It's a non-issue as far as New Jersey voters are concerned."

Staff Writers Michael Linhorst and Jeff Green contributed to this article.