Clergy Sex Abuse Case Moves Forward In NJ

NEW JERSEY - A grand jury in the state of New Jersey can now review allegations of child sexual abuse at the hands of clergy that spanned decades, the state's Supreme Court ruled on Monday.

According to the AP, the ruling comes after the Diocese of Camden informed the court in May that they will no longer object to the jury being seated in the closed-doors court case that the church has been fighting for years. The allegations point to sexual assault committed by priests and other religious officials.

Attorneys for the Camden diocese had argued that state law doesn't allow prosecutors to prepare grand jury reports about private institutions that can't be prosecuted because of the statute of limitations or issues with evidence.

Bishop Joseph Williams, after only a few months into his new role, notified the court after a unanimous decision by stakeholders in the diocese to end the church's opposition.

RELATED COVERAGE: Camden Diocese Will End Efforts To Block State's Sex-Abuse Investigation: Report

"We're not going to block a grand jury," Williams told the Philadelphia Inquirer. "We're not going to block a report. We're not going to block a presentment or presentment report."

In 2018, a Pennsylvania grand jury report uncovered that more than 1,000 children had been abused in that state since the 1940s, leading the New Jersey attorney general to announce a similar investigation. The results of New Jersey’s inquiry never became public, due in part to the legal battle with the Camden diocese amid sealed proceedings.

The following year, New Jersey's five Catholic dioceses released the names of 188 priests and deacons who have been accused of sexually abusing a child. The list, which also included deceased and former clergy, named 30 individuals linked to the Camden Diocese.

The diocese filed for bankruptcy in 2020, blaming financial impacts of sex-abuse lawsuits and the COVID-19 pandemic. Two years later, the Camden Diocese agreed to pay $87.5 million to more than 360 survivors of sexual abuse. A federal judge approved the settlement last year.

“To the victims and all those impacted by abuse, we reaffirm our sorrow, our support, and our unwavering resolve to do what is right, now and always,” says the diocese.