Allegations of clergy abuse are a test of faith for Catholics in North Jersey

Adding food to the fire, an Italian archbishop, Carlo Maria Viganò, recently accused Pope Francis of knowing McCarrick's alleged sexual misconduct, but did nothing to

Last week, the Attorney General of New York issued subpoenas to eight dioceses in an investigation into whether allegations of sexual abuse of children were concealed. And New Jersey Attorney General Gurbir Grewal announced Thursday that his office would begin his own investigation by establishing a toll-free hotline for victims to come forward and have a working group to review the applications. The number is 855-363-6548.

Mary Ann Hilt, a longtime parishioner of Sacred Heart Church in Clifton, said she had seen no evidence that Pope Francis knew of the sexual allegations against him. former Archbishop of Newark, Theodore McCarrick. Catholics, she said, should give her the benefit of the doubt. (Photo: Amy Newman / NorthJersey.com)

"The report revealed that sexual assaults against children – and efforts to conceal such assaults – were far more prevalent in Pennsylvania than we ever thought possible," Grewal said in a statement. if the same thing happened here. "

Last week, the Diocese of Metuchen suspended Reverend Alfonso Condorson, pastor of St. Joseph's Church in Bound Brook, pending a review of allegations that he would have attempted to seduce a young man of 24 years on vacation in Cancun. Mexico, in 1997. Condorson, who was formerly Alfonso de Condorpusa, was then a priest at Holy Trinity Church in Hackensack. The archdiocese of Newark then investigated these allegations, but no action was taken.

More: Attorney General of New Jersey to investigate allegations of sexual abuse among Catholic clergy

Mike Kelly: The Secret Life of Catholic Cardinal Theodore McCarrick and Reports of Sexual Abuse

For Catholics, these latest allegations of sexual abuse and concealment have become a veritable test of faith. He did more than flirt with the dark times of the early 2000s, when the Boston Globe denounced the endemic sexual abuse perpetrated by priests in his Pulitzer Prize-winning "Spotlight" series.

In New Jersey, as has been the case elsewhere, the scandal has the potential to go much further, extirpating priests who were quietly removed from their parishes but who have never been prosecuted. And this could reach the interior of the Vatican, where calls have been made for Pope Francis, once considered a reformer, to resign.

A sample of Catholics from northern Jersey at last week's Mass suggests that the Pope still has their support. But given the gravity of the crisis, this support is anything but ruthless and it seems that the Vatican is putting more and more pressure for real reforms – and quickly.

"I do not think Pope Francis should resign. He has the right to defend himself, "said Susan Cox while she and her husband, Bill, arrived at the 10-hour Mass at St. Philip's RC. Church in Clifton last Sunday. "But if he's proven guilty of hiding, then maybe he should."

"They need better psychological tests for these priests," added her husband. "They have to control them better."

When asked they supported the appeal recently launched by state Sen. Joseph Vitale, D-Middlesex, for a grand jury investigation in New Jersey, initiated by Grewal. , they responded in unison: "Absolutely".

The story continues under the gallery.

Mary Ann Hilt, a long-time parishioner of the Sacred Heart Church in Clifton who attends Mass in Latin, said she had seen no evidence that the Pope was aware of the sexual allegations against McCarrick. Catholics, she said, should give her the benefit of the doubt.

"I think it's a lot of hearsay," said Hilt, who called the pope a great leader for his pro-poor stance. "I think more investigations need to be done, it's too early."

There has been talk of a civil war in the church since Viganò aired his allegations against the pope in a 7,000-page letter last month, with conservatives on one side and more liberal Catholics with Pope Francis the other. Many had high hopes of reform when Francis succeeded his conservative predecessor, Benedict XVI. Francis has moved the church in a more progressive direction, softening his traditional stance against homosexuality while embracing diversity.

"I do not think there is a war," said Paul DeVita of Clifton. "When Richard Nixon resigned, people really gave Gerald Ford a hard time when he forgave him, and I think if they ended up expelling Pope Francis, the same thing would happen: they would put somebody in power who was part of what is happening right now. "

Church of the Sacred Heart at Clifton. (Photo: Amy Newman / NorthJersey.com)

In the midst of calls for unity, the latest scandal revived the debate on the authorization of priests' marriage. Many see the demand for a life of celibacy – considered an act of holiness – as asking for the impossible in the modern world.

"I think they could have married priests," Sharon Rubacky said as she left St. Anne's Church in Fair Lawn. "You ask someone who goes to the seminary to be single all his life. I think that requires a lot. "

But Nelida Rivera, another parishioner from Sainte-Anne, had a different opinion. "I do not think it's a good idea to let priests get married," she said. "That would take away their priestly duties.When you are a priest, you are a priest 24 hours a day, seven days a week."

However, Rivera conceded that, as a mother, she is troubled by the current scandal. "Trust is gone," she said.

Call for patience, signs of impatience

In 2002, Catholic bishops gathered in Dallas to adopt reforms to protect children from sexual abuse by priests. Stephen Schneck, former director of the Institute for Policy Research and Catholic Studies at the Catholic University of America, said that recent allegations of sexual abuse have shown that these changes are not enough.

"Lay people in general feel betrayed by our church," he said. "I think for those who follow these things, we had hoped that the Dallas reforms in 2002 would be enough to solve this problem, and it seems obvious that additional measures are needed.

Schneck said Francis had been "more diligent" than his predecessors in dealing with the crisis of abuse, asking a number of high-ranking prelates to resign for cover-up problems in Australia, Chile, Ireland and elsewhere.

"That said, Pope Francis has been in office for only a few years, and most of these allegations of abuse date back decades, so it will take years to fix everything," he said. continue to ask Pope Francis to strengthen his leadership in this regard.

"In many ways, it has been a breath of fresh air for our church at this time, but this crisis of abuse must be at the top of its priorities," he added.

But Bob Hoatson of West Orange, the founder of a non-profit organization that works with victims of sexual violence by clerics, said the pope had disappointed him.

"When he was elected, Pope Francis said all the good things," he said. "And he also created the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Children and Young People, and it was a good step, but the only thing we have received from Francis since he became pope, these are very beautiful words and platitudes, we have received no action from him. "

Hoatson said that he was inclined to believe that a letter from an archbishop published last month, according to which Francis, along with other church leaders, was aware of the allegations of Sexual misconduct against McCarrick. If this is proven, the pope should resign.

"End the concealment of sexual abuse committed for decades and centuries," said Hoatson, describing what he thinks the pope should do to solve the problem. "So, I may have doubts, but for the moment, I think Pope Francis is hiding something, and that does not seem to be going at all for his future."

The other people named in the Pennsylvania Grand Jury Report with the New Jersey ties are Reverend James Hopkins, Reverend John P. Connor, and Reverend A. Gregory Uhrig. Hopkins was sentenced to 10 years in prison for molesting an altar in Camden County. Connor, who served in the parishes of Vineland, Gloucester and Haddon Heights, was charged in 1984 with assaulting a 14-year-old boy. He avoided jail by accepting a plea agreement that allowed him to enter the pre-trial intervention program for primary offenders.

Uhrig, currently a weekend assistant at Notre-Dame de Lourdes in Readington, allegedly tapped a 13-year-old boy in a church in Easton, Pennsylvania, in the 1970s. He was subsequently found not guilty by a review committee. canonical, and by the time the charges were reported to law enforcement, the statute of limitations had expired, according to the report.

S & # 39; s relying on faith

For many lay Catholics in northern Jersey, their faith in the church has been shaken, but their faith remains strong. The church Sainte-Anne was crowded Sunday morning for the mass of 11:30. Father Joe Doyle spoke of forgiveness in his homily, and although he did not mention the current scandal, one could draw the consequences.

"Forgiveness is a first step," he told parishioners.

Sin and the gift of forgiveness, which leads to redemption, are considered as pillars of faith. Rather than judging and condemning, Catholics see themselves as following Jesus when they forgive.

"I do not know the pope. I do not judge him, "said Daniel Belonia when he arrived in St. Philip, Clifton, with his wife, Charissa. "Corruption is everywhere. I'm just trying to focus on God.

"We believe in God, not the pope," added Charissa.

"It's a belief we have in God, not man," said a Clifton man who attended Mass at the Sacred Heart in Clifton and gave only his first name, Dan. "We understand that priests are ordained and they are servants of God, and they are like us and they are fallible."

Dan described himself as a "traditionalist" and declared that he had never loved Pope Francis because of what he said were the "radical changes" that the pontiff to launch the project. He cited the pope's suggestion to change some of the words of the Lord's prayer.

"This has been the case for over 2000 years. How could you change something like this, and that's the tipping point? "There are a lot of changes in the world and I do not agree with that. God created us, how He created us to be man and woman, and we should follow that, and God does not make mistakes.

In the Roman Catholic Church of St. Nicholas of Passaic, some participants at the Spanish Mass of the afternoon said that priests who were victims of sexual abuse of minors or other people should be punished . But they recognized that the passage of time often makes it difficult.

Under the current New Jersey law, victims are up to 20 years of age, two years from the time they made a connection between the abuse and the trauma they caused, to file a complaint. in a civil court. But priests and other abusers can not be criminally prosecuted for cases prior to 1996, when the state lifted the statute of limitations for sexual abuse.

"The church is run by men, but it is also led by the spirit, and the men are men who are not perfect," said Garfield's Maritza Penagos, answering a question from 39, a journalist in Spanish. to be scandals against the church. I pray that Pope Francis will help him to know what to do and what decisions he should make.