Law firm releases names of 311 New Jersey clergy accused of abuse

A law firm Monday released a list of over 300 names of New Jersey clergy accused of sexual abuse and says that Catholic Church leaders are not doing enough to alert the public.

News 12 Staff

May 6, 2019, 8:42 PM

Updated 1,984 days ago

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A law firm Monday released a list of over 300 names of New Jersey clergy accused of sexual abuse and says that Catholic Church leaders are not doing enough to alert the public.
Ed Hanratty says that the sexual abuse he suffered as a child by a member of the clergy still haunts him.
“I was about 10 years old. He came to our parish. He was a young guy, full of life. All the kids and all the parents loved him. He forged that trust and then grew to violate that trust,” Hanratty says.
Hanratty has accused a priest in his hometown of Ridgefield Park of abusing him. He filed a lawsuit Monday against the state's Catholic Conference. The suit demands dioceses reveal more information about accused clergy.
Attorney Jeff Anderson says that information about where and when the clergy members worked should be released. He released a list of 311 names of accused clergy as part of the lawsuit.
The Archdiocese of Newark did not comment specifically on the lawsuit but said in a statement, "Our full and proactive collaboration with state and local law enforcement officials and with the Attorney General's office continues and remains a priority."
Catholic leaders have said releasing the names of priests in religious orders is the responsibility of orders to which they belong.