In Wake of Scandal, Newark Archbishop John J. Myers Appoints New Top Deputy

By Mark Mueller
The Star-Ledger
June 7, 2013

http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2013/06/in_wake_of_scandal_newark_arch.html#incart_river

The Most Rev. Edgar M. da Cunha, seen here in 2011, is the new vicar general in the Archdiocese of Newark. (Star-Ledger file photo)

Newark Archbishop John J. Meyers, seen here in March, has come under criticism for his handling of the Rev. Michael Fugee.

Two weeks after forcing out his top deputy to quell a lingering scandal, Newark Archbishop John J. Myers announced a replacement Thursday, promoting the country’s first Brazilian-born bishop to the post of vicar general.

The Most Rev. Edgar M. da Cunha, an auxiliary bishop and regional bishop for Essex County since 2003, will serve as Myers’ second-in-command in the archdiocese, home to 1.3 million Roman Catholics in Bergen, Essex, Hudson and Union counties. da Cunha, 59, has served in the archdiocese for more than three decades.

He replaces Monsignor John Doran, who resigned under pressure from Myers late last month. The archbishop cited "operational failures" and breaches of protocol in Doran’s supervision of the Rev. Michael Fugee, who attended youth retreats and heard confessions from minors in violation of a lifetime ban on ministry to children.

In a statement Thursday, Myers made no reference to the scandal, which has spawned calls for his resignation from elected leaders, rank-and-file Catholics and advocates for victims of clergy sex abuse.

Myers said da Cunha’s long history as a priest and pastor in Newark has "given him a full understanding of the breadth and depth of the archdiocese, its clergy and its people."

"Since his ordination as an auxiliary bishop in 2003, I have benefited from his expertise and counsel over the years, and look forward to his serving as my vicar general," Myers said.

A native of Riachao do Jacuipe, Brazil, da Cunha (pronounced dah-coon-ya) is the first U.S. bishop from that country. He is a member of the Vocationist Fathers, a religious order founded in the 1920s. He has served at St. Michael’s Church in Newark and St. Nicholas Parish in Palisades Park, both of which are affiliated with the order.

The Rev. Michael Fugee appears in court May 21.

He also has worked on numerous boards and commissions within the archdiocese.

To Myers’ critics, da Cunha’s tenure is less an asset than a liability. Given the debacle over Fugee, they say, the archbishop missed an opportunity to foster needed change.

"If the archbishop was serious about changing the culture within the archdiocese, he would begin by cleaning house," said Mark Crawford, the New Jersey director of the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, a national advocacy group.

"Instead he has chosen to stack the deck in his favor by appointing a bishop who has served him for the past 10 years," Crawford said. "Bishop da Cunha never spoke out against the many reckless decisions made by the archbishop when Myers has repeatedly endangered kids, broken church policies and deceived parishioners and the public about predator priests."

The Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office continues to investigate the archdiocese’s handling of Fugee, who was criminally charged May 20 with violating the terms of an agreement he signed with prosecutors in 2007. By signing the document, Fugee avoided a second trial on charges he groped a 13-year-old boy. Doran, the ousted vicar general, also signed the agreement on behalf of the archdiocese.

Fugee’s interactions with children were first disclosed by The Star-Ledger in late April. The newspaper found he attended youth retreats through St. Mary’s Parish in Colts Neck, part of the Diocese of Trenton, and made annual pilgrimages to Canada with minors from St. Mary’s and Holy Family Church in Nutley. On each trip, he heard confessions from teens.

The pastor at St. Mary’s and two of the church’s youth ministers have since been forced out. Fugee was granted a leave from ministry May 3. He remains free on $25,000 bail.