Catholic Church: 23 Newark Clergy ‘Credibly Accused’ of Sex Abuse – TAPinto.net

NEWARK, NJ – The Newark Archdiocese on Wednesday released a list of 63 priests “credibly accused” of sexual abuse. Among those listed on the website for the Archdiocese of Newark were 23 priests who served at churches throughout the city. 

All clergy included in the listing have since died or been removed from the ministry, according to the Archdiocese. Of those priests listed, who once worked in Newark, 15 are dead and eight have been removed from ministry, according to the Archdiocese.

“We are publishing the names of diocesan clergy credibly accused of sexual abuse of minors in the Archdiocese of Newark,” wrote Cardinal Joseph W. Tobin, the archbishop of the Archdiocese of Newark.

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“This list of names is the result of an extensive review of Archdiocesan records dating back to 1940. All names were previously reported to law enforcement agencies,” Tobin wrote.

Shortly after the Archdiocese of Newark released names of the accused, the Catholic Diocese of Trenton, Paterson, Metuchen and Camden, released names of accused priests, who served in their jurisdictions.

New Jersey Attorney General Gurbir S. Grewal in a statement Wednesday said his office has gotten hundreds of calls on its tip line from people abused as children and as adults since his office launched its investigation last September into allegations of sexual abuse in Catholic dioceses in the state.

“While this is a positive first step toward transparency and accountability, I hope this spirit of openness continues during the course of our ongoing investigation and in response to our requests for records and information,” Grewal said.

The Newark Archdiocese list shows that in addition to serving in Newark, many priests worked in numerous other parishes.

The following are the priests who once worked in Newark and a listing of the other locations where they served, according to the Archdiocese:

  • James T Benedetto: Ordained in 1970, he once worked at St. Antoninus in Newark. He also worked at St. Catherine of Siena in Cedar Grove; St. Michael in Cranford; Our Lady of Lourde in Mountainside; and Assumption in Emerson. The listing shows he was permanently removed from the ministry and victimized one person.

  • Jorge Batista: Ordain in 1983, he once worked at St. Aloysius in Newark. He also once worked at St. Paul of the Cross in Jersey City; Blessed Sacrament in East Orange; St. Nicholas in Jersey City; St. Augustine in Union City; St. Anthony of Padua in Union City, Our Lady of the Most Holy Rosary/St. Michael in Elizabeth; and St. Joseph of the Palisades, West New York. According to the listing, he victimized one person and is now deceased.

  • John X. Bergeur: Ordained in 1945, he once worked at EMS in Newark. He also previously worked at Our Lady of the Visitation in Paramus; Our Lady of the Most Holy Rosary/St. Michael in Elizabeth; and St. Anthony in East Newark. According to the listing he victimized one person and is now deceased.

  • Vincent Bonelli: Ordained in 1956, he once worked at St. Francis Xavier Church in Newark. He also previously worked at K of C in Caldwell; Religion Faculty of East Orange Catholic HS; and Notre Dame in North Caldwell. He victimized one person and is now deceased, according to the listing.

  • Michael Campanlonga: Ordained in 1962, he once worked at Immaculate Conception in Newark. He also previously worked at Fairleigh Dickinson University in Rutherford; Stevens Institute of Technology in Hoboken; Holy Rosary Academy in Union City; Assumption in Emerson; St. Anthony in Northvale; and St. Philomena in Livingston. According to the listing, he credibly victimized multiple people and was permanently removed from the ministry.

  • Dennis Cocozza: Ordained in 1975, he once worked at St. Anthony of Padua in Newark. He also once worked at Assumption in Roselle Park; St. Henry in Bayonne; St. Mary, Dumont Sacred Heart in Rochelle Park; Paramus Catholic HS in Paramus; and St. Cassian in Upper Montclair. He victimized one person and is now deceased, according to the listing.

  • Joseph DiPeri: Ordained in 1956, he once worked at St. Lucy and St. Anthony of Padua in Newark. He also once worked at Our Lady of Mt. Virgin in Garfield; St. Cecilia School in Englewood; Oratory Prep in Summit; and Our Lady of Mt. Carmel, Jersey City. He victimized one person and is now deceased, according to the listing.

  • Joseph P. Fagan: Ordained in 1937, he once worked at St. Charles Borromeo in Newark. He also once worked at Little Flower in Berkeley Heights; Our Lady Of Grace/St. Joseph in Hoboken; and Christ the King, Jersey City. He victimized one person and is now deceased, according to the listing.

  • Alan Guglielmo: Ordained in 1968, he once worked at St. Anthony of Padua and as a chaplain at Columbus Hospital and St. Michael Medical Center in Newark. He also once worked at Immaculate Conception in Secaucus; St. Valentine in Bloomfield; Mountainside Hospital in Montclair; Clara Maas Hospital in Belleville; Sacred Heart in Lyndhurst; St. Mary Hospital in Hoboken; St. Mary in Jersey City; CYO Hudson in Jersey City; Hudson Catholic Regional HS in Jersey City; St. Aedan’s the St. Peter’s University Church in Jersey City; St. Michael in Union; Roselle Catholic in Roselle Mother; Seton Regional High School in Clark; St. Helen in Westfield; and Assumption in Roselle Park. He victimized one person and was permanently removed from the ministry, according to the listing.

  • Michael C. Fugee: Ordained in 1994, he once worked at St. Antoninus and as a chaplain at St. Michael Medical Center in Newark. He also once worked at Sacred Heart in Rochelle Park; St. Elizabeth in Wyckoff; and St. Rose of Lima in Short Hills. He victimized one person and was permanently removed/laicized, according to the listing.

  • Richard Galdon: Ordained in 1959, he once worked at Our Lady of Good Counsel in Newark. He victimized multiple people and is now deceased, according to the listing.

  • Kevin Kortina: Ordained in 1970, He once worked at Sacred Heart Cathedral in Newark. He also once worked at Our Lady of Lourdes in West Orange; Union Catholic Regional High School in Scotch Plains; DeLaSalle HS in Concord, CA; and St. Francis DeSales Church in San Bernadino, CA. He victimized one person and is now deceased, according to the listing.

  • John Laferrera: Ordained in 1973, he once worked at St. Francis Xavier and Immaculate Conception in Newark. He also once worked at St. Philomena in Livingston and St. Aloysius in Caldwell. He victimized multiple people and was permanently removed from the ministry, according to the listing.

  • Francis T. Maione: Ordained in 1965, he once worked at St. Lucy, Catholic Community Services and Blessed Sacrament/St. Charles Borromeo in Newark. He also once worked at American College in Louvain; St. Pius X in Old Tappan; Holy Family in Union City; Immaculate Conception Seminary in Mahwah; Our Lady of Grace/St. Joseph in Hoboken; and Our Lady of the Visitation in Paramus. He victimized one person and was permanently removed from the ministry, according to the listing.

  • Robert Marotta: Ordained in 1963, he once worked at Our Lady of the Rosary and Our Lady of Mt. Carmel in Newark. He also once worked at Our Lady of Mt. Carmel in Jersey City; Our Lady of Mt. Carmel in Lyndhurst; St. John the Baptist in Jersey City; Our Lady Of Libera in West New York; Immaculate Conception in Secaucus; Our Lady Of Victories in Jersey City; and St. Cecilia in Kearny. He victimized one person and is now deceased, according to the listing.

  • Kenneth Martin: Ordained in 1977, he once worked as a chaplain at St. Michael Medical Center in Newark. He also once worked at Pope John Paul II Pavilion in Orange; Holy Name Of Jesus in East Orange; and St. Andrew in Bayonne. He victimized multiple people and was permanently removed from the ministry, according to the listing.

  • Daniel (Horatio D.) Medina: Ordained in 1998, he once worked at Holy Trinity/Epiphany and Blessed Sacrament/St. Charles Borromeo in Newark. He also once worked at St. Aloysius in Jersey City and Blessed Sacrament in Elizabeth. He victimized multiple people and was permanently removed from the ministry/laicized.

  • John Morel: Ordained in 1955, he once worked at St. Aloysius, St. Anthony of Padua, and St. Lucy in Newark. He also once worked at St. Michael in Jersey City; Hackensack Hospital in Hackensack; Holy Family in Union City; Nativity in Midland Park; St. Andrew in Westwood; and Our Lady of the Assumption in Bayonne. He victimized multiple people and is now deceased, according to the listing.

  • Robert Morel: Ordained in 1969, he once worked at Catholic Community Services in Newark. He also once worked at Our Lady Of the Visitation in Paramus; St. Joseph, in Jersey City; St. Peter the Apostle in River Edge; and Our Lady of the Blessed Sacrament in Roseland. He victimized multiple people and is now deceased, according to the listing.

  • John Nickas: Ordained in 1966, he once worked at St. Rocco Community Outreach Center; St. Rocco School; St. Rocco Parish; as a chaplain at Essex County Prison; and St. Patrick Pro-Cathedral in Newark. He also once worked at St. Peter Claver in Montclair and Most Blessed Sacrament in Franklin Lakes. He victimized multiple people and is now deceased, according to the listing.

  • Thomas H. Reilly: Ordained in 1929, he once worked at Sacred Heart in Newark. He also once worked at St. Mary in Paterson; USS South Dakota; as a district chaplain; and Holy Name of Jesus in East Orange. He victimized one person and is now deceased, according to the listing.

  • Joseph Rice: Ordained in 1977, he once worked as a chaplain at St. Michael Medical Center in Newark. He also once worked at Bergen Regional Medical Center in Paramus; St. John the Apostle in Linden; and St. Mary in Jersey City. He victimized multiple people and is now deceased, according to the listing.

  • Robert Svec: Ordained in 1954, he once worked at St. Columba and St. Charles Borromeo in Newark. He also once worked at St. Henry in Bayonne; Our Lady of Mt. Carmel in Jersey City; St. Mary, Star of the Sea in Bayonne; St. John the Baptist in Jersey City; IHM/St. Patrick in Elizabeth; Our Lady of Mt. Carmel in Montclair; and St. Vincent De Paul in Bayonne. He victimized multiple people and is now deceased, according to the listing.