Trenton Diocese Providing Names

The Diocese of Trenton plans to give prosecutors the names of 13 Roman Catholic priests accused of sexually assaulting minors over the past five decades, a spokeswoman said.

Meanwhile, New Jersey's county prosecutors plan to meet with the state Attorney General's Office next week to discuss how to handle such cases.

Bishop John M. Smith, the leader of the Trenton diocese, said last week that an internal review concluded that 13 priests had sexually abused minors over the past 50 years.

Smith's announcement prompted prosecutors from Burlington, Mercer, Monmouth and Ocean counties to ask for the priests' names.

Diocese spokeswoman Kathy Harth told The Times of Trenton that church officials had agreed to provide the names.

"We are fully cooperating with the authorities," Harth said Friday. "We are discussing how to proceed. Next week, we will probably have a better idea of when we will be able to meet with them."

Mercer County Prosecutor Daniel Giaquinto said he expected to hear from the attorney for the diocese, Michael Herbert, in the next few days.

Messages left Saturday at Herbert's office were not immediately returned. Attempts to reach Harth also were unsuccessful.

During its investigation, the diocese reviewed personnel records for more than 500 priests. Of the 13 priests accused of sexually assaulting minors, one was removed from the diocese last week.

At least two are dead, and six no longer work for the diocese, Smith said. The remaining four were from foreign countries, and were returned to their countries when the allegations surfaced.

The diocese declined to publicly release the names of those involved.

"There is a possibility that some of these cases may warrant prosecution," Giaquinto said. Trenton Diocese Providing Names of Accused Priests TRENTON, NJ – April 7, 2002 — The Diocese of Trenton plans to give prosecutors the names of 13 Roman Catholic priests accused of sexually assaulting minors over the past five decades, a spokeswoman said. Meanwhile, New Jersey's county prosecutors plan to meet with the state Attorney General's Office next week to discuss how to handle such cases.

Bishop John M. Smith, the leader of the Trenton diocese, said last week that an internal review concluded that 13 priests had sexually abused minors over the past 50 years.

Smith's announcement prompted prosecutors from Burlington, Mercer, Monmouth and Ocean counties to ask for the priests' names.

Diocese spokeswoman Kathy Harth told The Times of Trenton that church officials had agreed to provide the names.

"We are fully cooperating with the authorities," Harth said Friday. "We are discussing how to proceed. Next week, we will probably have a better idea of when we will be able to meet with them."

Mercer County Prosecutor Daniel Giaquinto said he expected to hear from the attorney for the diocese, Michael Herbert, in the next few days.

Messages left Saturday at Herbert's office were not immediately returned. Attempts to reach Harth also were unsuccessful.

During its investigation, the diocese reviewed personnel records for more than 500 priests. Of the 13 priests accused of sexually assaulting minors, one was removed from the diocese last week.

At least two are dead, and six no longer work for the diocese, Smith said. The remaining four were from foreign countries, and were returned to their countries when the allegations surfaced.

The diocese declined to publicly release the names of those involved.

"There is a possibility that some of these cases may warrant prosecution," Giaquinto said.

The diocese has 235 active parish priests and 750,000 members.

Aides to state Attorney General David Samson were scheduled to meet with all 21 county prosecutors next Tuesday.

So far, the counties have responded to sex abuse allegations against clergy on a case-by-base basis, and none has subpoenaed church records, a step that has been taken in other states.

"We're not going after any of the dioceses, or other religious institutions, absent sufficient reason to do so," John Hagerty, spokesman for the state Division of Criminal Justice, told The Star-Ledger of Newark.

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Author: 6 ABC-AP