NJ Dioceses Launch Fund to Pay Sexual Abuse Victims

NJ Dioceses Launch Fund to Pay Sexual Abuse Victims

A number of New Jersey dioceses announced the establishment of a victim compensation fund and counseling program in response to the multitude of allegations of sexual abuse by clergy and employees of the dioceses in the state over the decades.

The Archbishop of Newark, Cardinal Joseph W. Tobin, announced Monday that the Archdiocese of Newark and the Dioceses of Camden, Trenton, Paterson and Metuchen are committed to the establishment of the Victim Compensation and Counseling Program.

According to the Archdiocese of Newark, the program will provide resources to compensate the victims of child sexual abuse whose financial claims are barred due to the statute of limitations.

The newly announced initiative will expand on the current arrangement of the Catholic Church in New Jersey, which has already paid out about $50 million in financial settlements to victims of abuse, the Archdiocese of Newark said.

“This will give victims a formal voice and allow them to be heard by an independent panel,” the archdiocese said in a statement.

The initiative will also provide permanent funding for necessary counseling to victims, according to the Archdiocese of Newark, which added that “such counseling so often is needed to help in the healing of those who have been harmed.”

The details of the program are unknown, but onc finalized will be made public, the archdiocese explained.

It was also announced Monday that Roman Catholic Dioceses in New Jersey will have a complete review of their files so that, by early 2019, the names of the priests and deacons who have been credibly accused of sexual abuse of minors will be made public.

The Dioceses will undertake this action in coordination with the Attorney General of New Jersey’s ongoing Task Force examining the issue of clergy sexual abuse, the archdiocese said.

“It is hoped that these steps will aid in the process of healing for victims, who are deserving of our support and prayers,” the Archdiocese of Newark says.

Photo Credit: Gerald Herbert/AP