NEWARK (NJ)
Star-Ledger
May 7, 2019
By Ted Sherman
A special hotline to report sexual abuse by clergy has generated hundreds of possible leads for criminal investigators, according to New Jersey Attorney General Gurbir S. Grewal, who said the state’s five Catholic dioceses have been cooperating with his office.
At the same time, he said that in some of those cases where the statute of limitations may have run out, his office intends to continue to pursue those who may have facilitated criminal conduct — such as church officials who allegedly did nothing when they learned of sexual abuse.
Grewal made his comments during an editorial board meeting with The Star-Ledger.
New Jersey officials in September set up a special task force to investigate allegations of sexual abuse by members of the clergy within the Catholic dioceses of New Jersey, in the wake of a report by a Pennsylvania grand jury which graphically detailed the abuse by priests who preyed upon children for decades.
“We’re going to be publishing a report similar to the Pennsylvania report,” Grewal said. “The people of this state have a right to know.”
While the attorney general said the calls received so far have generated a number of leads they have been pursuing, he would not disclose whether there are any active criminal cases. So far, only one priest has been charged as a result of a call to the task force.
In January, Rev. Thomas P. Ganley was arrested on sexual assault charges just two days after the victim in the nearly 30-year-old case made a call to the state’s clergy abuse hotline. Ganley, a parochial vicar at St. Philip and St. James Catholic Church in Phillipsburg, later pleaded guilty to the charges.
The state hotline — (855) 363-6548 — has gotten calls regarding other religions, not just Catholics. According to Grewal, the vast majority of the calls have been clergy related.
On Monday, meanwhile, more than 300 New Jersey priests, nuns, monks and other clergy accused of sexual misconduct, including many not included in the Catholic Church’s official list, were named by lawyers representing an alleged victim suing the state’s diocese.
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