NEWARK (NJ)
SNAP - Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests [Chicago IL]
February 13, 2025
For Immediate Release: February 13, 2025
Cardinal Joseph Tobin of the Archdiocese of Newark said on Monday that he had hired a law firm to conduct a “comprehensive third-party review” of a 2019 investigation into sexual abuse at Seton Hall University. SNAP, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, calls the new investigation unnecessary. The group believes that it is nothing more than a tactic to delay the resolution of the issue of Monsignor Joseph Reilly’s appointment as President of Seton Hall. SNAP spoke out against the Monsignor’s appointment at the time, and asked for complete transparency. We still believe that this is the best way to resolve the controversy.
Although Monsignor Reilly was not himself accused of abuse, the 2019 investigation found that he knew about accusations of abuse on campus and did not report them as required. In reaction to the probe’s findings, a “Responsive Action Plan” was developed, and a special task force was formed to carry out disciplinary actions. The task force recommended the Monsignor’s removal from Seton Hall boards and leadership. The priest left the Board of Trustees and then stepped down as dean of the seminary. Less than three years after Monsignor Reilly was quietly sidelined, he was restored to active service, culminating in his elevation to the powerful position of University president.
New Jersey SNAP Leader, Mark Crawford wonders, “Why would we need an investigation of the original investigation? Why would anyone believe this isn’t a cover up of the cover up? Cardinal Tobin simply needs to release the original report to the public. Who would trust a report on the report?”
We hope that concerned Catholics and the public question Cardinal Tobin’s action and demand that the complete 2019 internal report be made public immediately. The investigation’s findings on Monsignor Reilly, as well as anyone else named by the investigators, need to be disclosed. Moreover, those who knew about these internal findings, and who still helped to make the Monsignor head of Seton Hall, must also be called to account.
We would hope that Catholic officials, more than 20 years after the promises made in Dallas in 2002, would have learned to prioritize protecting the lives of the faithful instead of the assets and reputation of the institution.
CONTACT: Mark Crawford, SNAP New Jersey (mecrawf@comcast.net, 732-632-7687), Melanie Sakoda, Survivor Support Director (msakoda@snapnetwork.org, 925-708-6175), Shaun Dougherty, SNAP Board President (sdougherty@snapnetwork.org, 814-341-8386)
(SNAP, the Survivors Network, has been providing support for victims of sexual abuse in institutional settings for more than 35 years. We have more than 25,000 survivors and supporters in our network. Our website is SNAPnetwork.org)