Archbishop's Letter to Parishioners

Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Newark
May 26, 2013

http://www.rcan.org/images/fugee_letter.pdf

[full text]

My Dear Sisters and Brothers in Christ,

When I first learned several weeks ago that Father Michael Fugee may have violated a lifetime ban on ministry to minors, I immediately ordered an outside law firm to conduct a full and thorough investigation ofthe matter and to cooperate with the Bergen County Prosecutor in all areas. I told the firm that I wanted to know what happened and why.

The investigation found that the strong protocols we presently have in place were not always observed.

The seriousness of the situation with Father Fugee necessitated a thoughtful and effective response. Appointing a new Vicar General will be just one step in a comprehensive plan to review, and, where necessary, strengthen our internal protocols and ensure we are doing everything we can to safeguard the children of our community.

So, effective immediately, the Vicar General, Monsignor John E. Doran, has resigned his post and will no longer hold a leadership position with the Archdiocese. As a result of operational failures, both Monsignor Doran and I felt that the Archdiocese would be best served by his stepping down as Vicar General. This action clears the way for making more effective changes in our monitoring function. I am transferring that function to the Office of the Judicial Vicar of the Archdiocese.

We want our procedures to be among the strictest in the Catholic Church. This has been one of my priorities since becoming your Archbishop in 2001 and that will not change. In fact, the Archdiocese has an exemplary record of addressing allegations against our clergy. We, along with all dioceses in the state ofNew Jersey, report all allegations of misconduct to the appropriate prosecutors' office. I have personally removed 19 priests for substantiated allegations. I want to assure you that our strict oversight of, and adherence to, The Dallas Charter will continue.