Former Paramus Priests Accused Of Sex Abuse

PARAMUS NJ — Priests who served in the borough, including one at Paramus Catholic High School, were revealed to have been "credibly accused" of child sex abuse, a list released by the Catholic Church Wednesday shows.

The Newark Archdiocese made its list public on Wednesday morning. (See related article: Here's The List Of 186 NJ Priests Accused Of Child Sexual Abuse)

The priests who served in Paramus are:

• John X. Bergeur, born 1918, ordained 1945. He served at Our Lady of the Visitation. He had one alleged victim.
• Dennis Cocozza, born 1949, ordained 1975. He served at Paramus Catholic High School. He had one alleged victim.
• Francis T. Malone, born 1939, ordained 1965. He served at Our Lady of the Visitation. He had one alleged victim. He was permanently removed from ministry.
• Robert Morel, born 1943, ordained 1969. He served at Our Lady of the Visitation and had multiple alleged victims.
• Joseph Rice, born 1940, ordained 1977. He served as chaplain as Bergen Regional Medical Center and had multiple alleged victims.
• Mario Salazar, born 1952, ordained 1979. He served as chaplain as Bergen Regional Medical Center and at Carmelite Chapel of St. Therese, and had multiple alleged victims.
• Gerald Sudol, born 1954, ordained 1980. He served at Mount St. Andrew Villa and had multiple alleged victims. He was permanently removed from the ministry.

Cardinal Joseph Tobin, the archbishop of Newark, said the list includes all those from New Jersey who were credibly accused of sexual abuse of minors dating back to 1940. Read his full statement here.

The dioceses are undertaking this action in coordination with the Attorney General of New Jersey's ongoing task force examining the issue of clergy sexual abuse.

In the same statement, the Archdiocese of Newark and the Dioceses of Camden, Trenton, Paterson and Metuchen said they are committed to the establishment of a "Victim Compensation and Counseling Program."

Email: daniel.hubbard@patch.com

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