Catholic Church in NJ Names More Than 180 Priests Credibly Accused of Child Sex Abuse

The Catholic Church in New Jersey has released a list of 188 priests and deacons it says have been credibly accused of sexually abusing children during their time working in the state.

The list is the result of an internal review by the state's five dioceses (Newark, Paterson, Trenton, Metuchen, and Camden) that was spurred, in part, by New Jersey Attorney General Gurbir Grewal's ongoing investigation into clergy sex abuse in New Jersey. In publishing the list, Cardinal Joseph Tobin—Newark's Archbishop—has said that he hopes it's the first step towards rebuilding trust with congregants. 

The Catholic Church has seen its share of local scandals recently There last August's scathing grand jury report that detailed decades of abuse and cover-up by the church in Pennsylvania. That was followed by allegations against Newark's former Archbishop, Timothy McCarrick. But some church watchers say there are glimmers of hope to be found in Wednesday's release.

"When you take a look at the names, very few of them were ordained in the 1990s or the first decade of the 21st century, and what that tells us is that the church in New Jersey...has done a better job in patrolling itself," Kean University historian Christopher Bellitto tells WNYC's Jami Floyd. "Although, I should say it didn't take much to do a better job, because bishops were doing a terrible job...before this."

According to the list, many of the priests named are either deceased or have already been removed from the church. However, the list is not a complete one: It does not include clergy who are members of religious orders, like the Jesuits or Franciscans, which are separate organizations, though members may serve in local dioceses.

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