New Jersey Attorney General Gurbir Grewal says that a hotline his office set up to report instances of sexual abuse by clergy has been "ringing off the hook."

Grewal says that more staff had to be added to field all of the calls that were coming in. The hotline was set up after the attorney general announced he had launched a criminal probe into abuse by members of the Catholic Church.

This follows a Pennsylvania grand jury report that uncovered more than 1,000 children had been abused over decades by about 300 priests.

New Jersey Catholic Church officials also announced Tuesday that abuse victims required to remain silent by settlement agreements can now speak publicly about their ordeals.

The New Jersey Catholic Conference said the church has no objection. It came after state Sen. Joe Vitale called on the church to release abuse victims from confidentiality agreements. The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops has barred such agreements since 2002 unless a victim requests confidentiality.

The New Jersey conference says Newark Archbishop Cardinal Joseph Tobin and the state's bishops won't object if victims come forward.