NEW JERSEY
The Star-Ledger
By Mark Mueller/The Star-Ledger
on October 28, 2013 at 6:54 PM
The pastor of a Roman Catholic church in Hillsborough has been removed from ministry over allegations that he sexually abused a child in the late 1970s.
The Rev. Msgr. Raymond L. Cole, 70, who leads St. Joseph Parish in the Somerset County community, was an associate pastor at St. Mary Parish in South Amboy when the alleged abuse occurred, according to a letter read aloud during weekend Masses at St. Joseph.
Metuchen Bishop Paul Bootkoski wrote in the letter that Cole “steadfastly denies the charges against him.” At the same time, the bishop wrote, canon law requires the removal of a priest when an allegation of sexual abuse “has been deemed to have a semblance of truth.”
Bootkoski said he was alerted to the allegation by the Middlesex County Prosecutor’s Office, which did not pursue criminal charges because the statute of limitations had long since passed.
A retired investigator from the prosecutor’s office looked into the claim on behalf of the diocese. The Diocesan Review Board, a panel of lay people and clergy members who examine sex abuse allegations — also investigated the matter, interviewing Cole and the alleged victim, Bootkoski said.
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