Report on claims of sexual assault by priest were delayed a year

PATERSON (NJ): A year after a special panel, deemed as credible allegations of sexual abuse against a former Delbarton School monk, the Roman Catholic Diocese of Paterson has finally referred the complaints to the Vatican in Rome.

The complaint is among six pending cases including five priests who have been accused of molesting young people.

Criminal charges were never lodged in any of the cases because the alleged incidents occurred more than 20 years ago and were beyond the statute of limitations for prosecution.

The alleged victim of the Delbarton abuse along with Monsignor Kenneth Lasch, pastor of St. Joseph Church in Mendham, have both criticized the diocese for taking so long to move toward resolving the issues.

Lasch said such delays will likely further erode the diocese’s credibility and that the lack of credibility has already led to falling collections from parishioners at churches around Morris County.

Report on claims of sexual assault by priest were delayed a year
The Hanover Eagle
www.zwire.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=11976655&BRD=1918&PAG=461&dept_id=506536&rfi=6
By PHIL GARBER, Managing Editor, 06/16/2004