Law firm releases 300 names of Catholic priests and others accused of abuse in NJ

Edward Hanratty doesn't think it's a coincidence that four abusive priests wound up at his parish in Ridgefield Park. 

In his Irish Catholic community, nobody ever questioned the church, which was at the epicenter of the community, recalled Hanratty, a victim of clergy abuse who has become an advocate for victims. 

"The church sent these people knowingly," he said. "I feel like our entire town was groped. Why was our church a target and there are other churches that never had a single abuser?" 

Now he wants answers. He has filed a lawsuit against the Catholic Bishops of New Jersey and the New Jersey Catholic Conference demanding that New Jersey's bishops release the identities, backgrounds and histories of all clergy accused of sexual misconduct with minors. He says most of the information has been concealed.

The lawsuit contends that New Jersey's bishops maintained a "public hazard by keeping secret the names of all clergy accused of sexual misconduct in New Jersey," his attorneys, from the Minnesota-based law firm Jeff Anderson & Associates, announced Monday at a press conference in Elizabeth. 

His attorneys released a report that includes the names of more than 300 diocesan priests, religious order priests, deacons, nuns, and religious brothers and sisters accused of sexual misconduct and associated with the Catholic dioceses in New Jersey. 

“We release this report, the Anderson Report, and what it is is an identification of all the clerics who have been publicly accused across the state of New Jersey," said Jeff Anderson, the law firm's founder. "We have also included the history, the assignment history of each of those clerics that have been publicly accused, because we believe it's something that needs to be done.”

See the full list in the report from the law firm of Catholic priests and others accused of abuse in NJ

Mark Crawford of Woodbridge, who was abused for several years by his family's priest when he was growing up in Bayonne, is now an advocates for others. "I believe there are many more predators," he said at the press conference. "This is just the tip of the iceberg. We have to pressure our bishops to do what they've been promising to do: disclose the entire truth." 

Those listed in the report worked at churches in the Archdiocese of Newark and the Dioceses of Trenton, Camden, Paterson and Metuchen. The information is derived from publicly available sources, claims made by survivors to the diocese and religious orders responsible for the offenders, as well as legal settlements made as a result of claims for sexual abuse, according to the report.

“While lawsuits were filed involving many of these alleged perpetrators, the vast majority of the claims against these individuals have been settled or have not been fully evaluated in a civil or criminal court,’’ the report reads. “Accordingly, the allegations should be considered just allegations and should not be considered proved or substantiated in a court of law. "

The report notes that in some situations, the statute of limitations has expired, preventing the cases from being heard in a court of law. 

The Archdiocese of Newark, in a statement, said it is committed to "the ongoing support and healing of victims and the acknowledgement of those accused of the sexual abuse of minors. We continue to focus on transparency and accountability and to reinforcing established reporting and prevention policies and programs to protect minors and support victims in our parishes, schools and ministries."  

The four dioceses did not return calls or emails seeking comment.

OPINION:Why we didn't publish the names of 300 clerics, others accused of sexual assault

300 NAMES:What to know about the newly released list of priests, others accused of abuse in NJ

Hanratty, who filed the action against the New Jersey Catholic Conference of Bishops and each bishop in New Jersey, said he was abused by a parish priest in Ridgefield Park 30 years ago. His suit, known as a nuisance action, seeks a court order that discloses more fully the "secrets known and history held" by all the Catholic bishops in New Jersey that have not been revealed, Anderson explained. 

Hanratty said he wants church leaders to be transparent and give a full account of what they knew and when they knew it, saying that after he disclosed his abuse last summer, he was flooded with calls from others who said they had experienced similar abuse. He also received calls from parents of clergy abuse victims who committed suicide.  

“I hope today is the first day of the final chapter in getting to the bottom of this tragedy,’’ he said. "Survivors, the relatives, the surviving relatives can finally put this to rest." 

Patrick Wall, a former priest who also spoke at the press conference, pointed out that the list includes not only priests but also other laypeople. 

"This is only part of the story, and this is what helps them heal,'' he said. 

The report includes accusations against three nuns. One is identified as a member of the Sisters of Charity who worked in various locations in the Diocese of Paterson including Visitation Academy in Paramus and St. Cecilia elementary school in Kearny.

According to the report, a woman came forward in 1994 to accuse the nun of sexually abusing her beginning when she was 15 years old at Paramus Catholic Girls High School. The abuse allegedly occurred from about 1968 until 1992. 

The report says an allegation of child sexual abuse was also made against a member of the Dominican Sisters of Caldwell. The abuse allegedly occurred while the nun worked at St. Catherine of Siena Catholic Church in Hillside in the mid-1960s. 

And in a 2005 lawsuit, the report notes, allegations surfaced against another nun who was a member of the Pallatine Sisters and worked in the Archdiocese of Newark. She was accused in the suit of child sexual abuse at Sacred Heart Orphanage in the early 1940s. The lawsuit, filed by two 80-year-old men, alleged that she sexually abused one of the men when he was in seventh grade. 

Anderson said the work history of those accused is included in the report so it can help families discern where the "perils have been and where the perils may still be." 

Last month, Anderson released updated information, much of it previously released, about sexual abuse cases in New Jersey involving the Boy Scouts.

Hanratty said great strides have been made in recent years because survivors are being believed and their motives no longer questioned. 

"But we are still not anywhere close to the entire scope of what this tragedy really, really entails,'' he said. 

Barely three months ago, New Jersey's Roman Catholic dioceses released the names of 188 priests and deacons who church officials found had been credibly accused of sexually abusing children over decades, the result of an internal review that was spurred by a law enforcement investigation announced last year. 

The Newark Archdiocese's list had 63 names that included 33 priests who are deceased. Some of the priests had one victim, according to the list, but 33 had multiple victims. Eight of the living priests, all of whom are alleged to have abused more than one person, have been defrocked. 

The Paterson Diocese put up a list of 28 clerics — including one priest who was also listed by Newark. Camden's had 57 names, Trenton's had 30 and Metuchen's had 11. 

Most of the priests on the lists have died, though 79 are living. Bishops said in letters that none of the priests are working in their dioceses. 

Hanratty said that learning the truth won't change his past, but it will help him and others move forward.

"I want to find out about Ridgefield Park's history," he said. "Our generation needs to know why those abusive priests were sent there. It means a lot to me to find out the truth. There are so many people from Ridgefield Park who want answers."