Newark Archbishop Myers – Kill the Messenger – Does He Need to Step Down?

By Ray Rossi
New Jersey 101.5
August 20, 2013

http://nj1015.com/newark-archbishop-myers-kill-the-messenger-does-he-need-to-step-down-poll/

I take my salvation in my hands, according to Archbishop Myers of Newark, for suggesting that perhaps the sexual abuse that’s taken place by priests on his watch is a reflection of his ministry.

The tip of the iceberg goes back to the scandal of Rev. Michael Fugee, where the Archbishop took heat for his handling of the affair, or lack thereof.

Since then, his stewardship has been called into question again, this time over revelations that a priest in the Diocese of Peoria where the Archbishop served and with whom he was friendly, says warning signs of sexual abuse by said priest ‘got by me’!

According to this:

In late 1994 or early 1995, a woman told church officials Maloney had molested her when she was a child, documents show. Later in 1995, the woman’s sister wrote to the diocese on her behalf, again insisting action be taken against the priest.

Four years later, a couple wrote to the vicar general, second-in-command of the diocese, complaining Maloney had an explicit sexual conversation with their 13-year-old son during confession, the documents show.

But Newark Archbishop John J. Myers, then bishop of Peoria, says he missed it all.

In a deposition unsealed as part of a $1.35 million settlement with one of Maloney’s alleged victims, Myers said he had no inkling Maloney — a friend who vacationed with him and lavished him with gifts of jewelry, gold coins and cash — was a potential molester.

“I did not have any suspicions,” Myers said in the deposition, taken in Newark in 2010. “I — because of the, perhaps slipshod filing system that we had between the two different buildings of the office of the bishop, there may have been things that got by me. But I did not have any suspicions.”

They say it is a pattern that has repeated itself in Newark, where Myers has come under fierce criticism in recent months for his handling of priests accused of abusing children.

Fast forward to this week, where Myers tries to silence his critics by calling them ‘evil, wrong, and immoral’

According to this:

The Roman Catholic archbishop of Newark, N.J., has issued a scathing rebuke to his critics, blasting them as “evil, wrong, immoral” for questioning his handling of an allegation of sex abuse in his previous diocese in Illinois.

He reserved his harshest words for his most vocal critics, namely former priests, and questioned their motives.

“For any who set out to claim that I or the Church have had no effective part in the love and protection of children is simply evil, wrong, immoral, and seemingly focused on their own self-aggrandizement,” Myers wrote.

“God only knows their personal reason and agenda,” the letter continued. “And God will surely address them in due time.”

Myers also excoriated New Jersey media for their coverage of the story, saying it provided “deceitful and misleading information.” Myers said he has a duty to denounce impressions “presented as false and harmful to many people.”

The problem, as I see it, is that a good many subordinates have since left their posts in the wake of these revelations.

Monsignor John Dolan, the vicar general of the Archdiocese, resigned over the Fugee affair. He originally made the agreement with the Bergen County prosecutor to supervise Fugee.

In Colt’s Neck, Father Thomas J. Triggs stepped down as pastor of St. Mary’s, for allowing Fugee to attend youth groups run by the parish, albeit not knowing of the priest’s past; as did 2 lay group ministers.

There is no “Harry Truman” in this saga!” The “buck” apparently doesn’t stop with the Archbishop!

Should Archbishop John Myers of Newark step down for not knowing about child sexual abuse allegedly committed by priests under his supervision?