NEW JERSEY
Star-Ledger
February 17, 2019
By Star-Ledger Editorial Board
The Roman Catholic Church in New Jersey believes it has found a path to redemption by releasing a list of 188 predatory priests – 108 of them deceased – which it hopes is a step toward “healing for the victims” and the “restoration of trust in church leadership.”
That, to coin a term, is a Hail Mary. There is no catechism to comfort raped children. There is no psalm of purification for this occasion. The disclosure of these credibly accused clerics is important, but sexual assault victims are not likely to be healed by this perfunctory gesture sanctified by Cardinal Joseph Tobin.
To the contrary, many remain haunted by decades of silence, and wonder why names were hidden for so long. They seek the identities of the bishops who engineered the coverup. They will say this confession was triggered only by the creation of a daunting task force, convened to investigate clergy abuse throughout our state by a determined Attorney General.
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