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	Sex Abuse Claims Lead Priest to Retire By John Chadwick NorthJersey.com [Newark NJ] March 21, 2006 http://www.bergen.com/page.php?qstr=eXJpcnk3ZjczN2Y3dnFlZUVFeXk0NSZm Z2JlbDdmN3ZxZWVFRXl5NjkwMTE2OCZ5cmlyeTdmNzE3Zjd2cWVlRUV5eTM= The Newark Archdiocese said Monday that a former Ridgefield priest accused of sexual misconduct has agreed to retire and will no longer represent himself as a priest to the public. The Rev. Peter Cheplic's decision to step down came after three men -- all of whom had attended St. Matthew Roman Catholic Church -- came forward last year and accused him of molesting them as teenagers and young adults. Another man surfaced in 2002 with similar allegations -- which were found "credible" by a church review board. The board had launched an inquiry into the three most recent cases and was preparing to take the next step -- sending the accusations to Rome for further evaluation -- when Cheplic and the archdiocese agreed to the retirement. "The review board felt the information was sufficient to move forward," said Jim Goodness, a spokesman for the archdiocese. "In a standard case, the recommendation would be to refer it to Rome." The retirement effectively ends the inquiry without a finding of guilt. But under the agreement, Cheplic must abide by conditions that are frequently imposed on priests who are found to have abused children. He can no longer celebrate Mass, wear a Roman collar or do anything to publicly represent the church. "He steps away from ministry completely," Goodness said. "He no long functions as a priest." Goodness said Cheplic will receive some financial support from the archdiocese, but not his pension. Cheplic, 60, served at St. Matthew from 1972 to 1985. He also worked at parishes in East Orange, West New York, Jersey City, Weehawken and Bayonne. A statement published Sunday in the bulletins of churches where Cheplic worked said: "Although he continues to declare his innocence, [Cheplic] felt that by removing himself from ministry, he could encourage everyone to begin to heal from this ordeal." Two accusers said they're pleased Cheplic will no longer work as a priest. But they said his continued insistence of innocence is duplicitous. "He seems to be saying that he's helping everyone heal," said Joe Capozzi, 36, of Manhattan. "But the only way to heal is to begin with the truth. And if he's declaring his innocence, he's obviously not declaring the truth." Capozzi and Raymond Capone said Cheplic befriended them at St. Matthew. They said the abuse took place after Cheplic left for another parish assignment. Capozzi said he met Cheplic at the age of 8. He said physical contact occurred when he was 16, with more explicit sexual touching after he turned 18. He said the priest would get him drunk and then touch him while he was sleeping. "I would wake up and he would be hovering over me," Capozzi said. Capone and another accuser have provided similar accounts, saying Cheplic befriended them as children, partied with them when they got older and touched them when they were sleeping. Capone, who said he may have been as old as 20 when he was touched, said he was pleased Cheplic retired. He said he feared the inquiry would have dragged on over the years. "It's obvious this was forced on him," said Capone, 40, of South Plainfield. E-mail: chadwick@northjersey.com
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