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Bishop and Diocese of Paterson Sued In Sex-Abuse Case
Twenty-one men say they were abused as boys by clergy, including a previously accused retired priest
Associated Press - Wayne Parry
01/13/04 - Twenty-one men sued
the Diocese of Paterson and Bishop Frank Rodimer yesterday, contending that clergy members had sexually abused them.
Most of the plaintiffs say they were abused as children by the Rev. James T. Hanley, a retired priest who has been
the focus of numerous abuse complaints since sex-abuse allegations erupted in the Roman Catholic Church in 2002.
"Today is a day to recall the suffering that happens to children and continues as they grow into adulthood,"
said Mark Serrano, a leader of the Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests.
Serrano has accused Hanley of molesting him but is not a plaintiff in the suit filed yesterday in state Superior Court. He was one of the first in the
nation to speak out about abuse in violation of a confidentiality agreement he signed with the church in settling earlier legal action.
Hanley, who has declined to discuss the allegations, asked church officials to remove him from
the priesthood in June 2002 after Rodimer presented him with the new church policy on sexual abuse adopted by U.S. bishops.
He had served at St. Joseph's in Mendham, Our Lady of Good Counsel in Pompton Plains, and St. Christopher's
in Parsippany from 1968 to 1982. He now lives in a diocesan retirement home in Paterson.
Marianna Thompson, a spokeswoman for the diocese, said church officials had not yet seen the lawsuit. "However, we intend to defend this
suit vigorously," she said, declining to comment further.
A second priest named in the lawsuit, the Rev. Thomas Rainforth,
who served at St. Joseph's with Hanley, was investigated by the diocese but cleared of any wrongdoing in November 2002.
The suit also names Deacon Carlos Guzmon, an employee of the diocese who attended an Our Lady of Holy Rosary
parish event where abuse is alleged to have occurred, Gianforcaro said.
Rodimer, 75, has asked to retire this year, but the Vatican has not acted on the request.
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National Abuse Survivors Group Calls for Boycott of Review Board, an Outside Investigation, and a Parish Meeting
Criticizes Bishop for Returning Priest Who Had Genital Contact with a Minor to Ministry
Leesburg, VA/November 27, 2002 - Mark Serrano, a Board Member of the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, and a former New
Jersey resident, today issued the following statement.
"Despite touching a child's genitals, a Paterson, New Jersey diocesan priest has been returned to full ministry by Bishop Frank Rodimer.
The diocesan review board determined that the victim in this case was credible, but that the claim did not rise to the level of sexual abuse under the definition written in the church's Dallas Charter.
According to the diocese, the review board could not determine whether Father Thomas Rainforth of St. Philip the Apostle Church in Clifton, NJ sought intentional sexual gratification by the genital
contact he had with the minor. Instead, they defined Father Rainforth's actions as "inappropriate behavior" and Bishop Rodimer placed Father Rainforth back in ministry in the midst of children.
It has also been reported by another witness that Father Rainforth, who was the youth minister and Boy Scout troop leader at St. Philip the Apostle Church before his removal this year, served alcohol to
minors, played drinking games with them, and went "skinny-dipping" in their presence in the 1970s.
In this matter Bishop Rodimer stated that the diocese will 'take no
further action;' and by his inaction the bishop has sent a chilling signal to sexual abuse victims: even if we believe you, don't count on us to protect children and aid in your healing.
Based on this decision, we are left to assume that Bishop Rodimer is drawing a line that says if a priest touches the genitals of a child, he can still remain in ministry if it cannot be shown that the priest
gained sexual gratification from the contact. This sets a dangerous precedent for the church, and especially for the minor whose genitals are touched by a priest.
This is another disturbing chapter in the Paterson Diocese's long and
sad history of minimizing and obfuscating sexual abuse, returning credibly accused sex offenders back into ministry in the midst of children, and of placing the interests of clerics ahead of children and parents.
The Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (SNAP) is asking that the following actions be taken to correct this gravely wrong decision, which may also serve as a troubling precedent for other
diocesan review boards in the United States.
Specifically:
- We are requesting that Bishop Rodimer hire an independent counsel (with no ties to the church), turn over all diocese files in this matter to the counsel, and allow for a new independent
investigation of this claim against Father Rainforth
- We are appealing to Kathleen L. McChesney, the incoming executive director of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops' Office for Child and Youth Protection to take a stand: either pro
-actively certify that children are safe around Father Rainforth or counsel Bishop Rodimer to remove him from ministry permanently. This request is consistent with the Dallas Charter's call for Ms. McChesney's Office to assist individual
dioceses/eparchies in the implementation of safe environment programs.
- We also ask that Bishop Rodimer hold a public meeting with SNAP members at St. Philip the Apostle Church in Clifton, New Jersey, where Father Rainforth has been reassigned, as soon as
possible to answer questions that parishioners have about this matter.
- We ask that Bishop Rodimer keep Father Rainforth removed from ministry until a new independent investigation is conducted, Ms. McChesney's decision is made, and the public meeting is held.
Furthermore, at least until these steps are taken by the bishop, SNAP is forced to counsel all victims of clergy sexual abuse in the
Paterson Diocese to refrain from appearing before the review board. Without significant, dramatic changes, survivors of sexual abuse are more likely to find re-victimization instead of healing from the Paterson Diocese.
While members of the diocese review board may have been acting in good conscience, their judgment and the process by which they made their decision calls their integrity as an allegation review board into question.
Bishop Rodimer has repeatedly professed to want to aid in the healing of victims of clergy sexual abuse and has publicly apologized for his misjudgments in placing sexual offenders back into ministry
during his tenure as bishop. SNAP urges Bishop Rodimer to have no tolerance for clergy misconduct with minors and demonstrate his commitment to safety for children and healing for victims by
removing Father Rainforth from ministry permanently.
Whether the alleged abuse by Father Rainforth is deemed to be 'sexual abuse' or 'inappropriate behavior', no genital contact
whatsoever by any priest should ever be tolerated at all in the Catholic Church.
Finally, SNAP is ready and willing to meet with Bishop Rodimer and the review board at any time to discuss a resolution to this latest
crisis created by the diocese."
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