In the wake of the accusations against the Bishop of Brooklyn, Cardinal Tobin has issued a document on June 5, 2020 about accusations against bishops, and how the Church intends to handle them.
Since 2002, the Archdiocese of Newark has formalized a process of reporting sexual abuse allegations, in accordance with the USCCB Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People, Essential Norms and a Memorandum of Understanding between the state prosecutors’ offices and the NJ Dioceses.
A year ago, Pope Francis issued an apostolic letter, Vos estis lux mundi, (You are the light of the world) that strengthened and formalized the process for holding bishops accountable. As part of the implementation of the letter here in the United States, a platform was created by an independent, third party providing a secure, confidential, and professional way to report allegations against living bishops. This service is in place to gather and relay reports of sexual misconduct involving bishops of the United States, and reports of their intentional interference in a sexual abuse investigation.
Individuals may make a report involving a bishop that pertains to sexual abuse or related misconduct online at www.ReportBishopAbuse.org or by calling toll free (800) 276-1562. If you wish to report any other kind of misconduct by a bishop—or sexual abuse by a priest, deacon, religious brother or sister, or layperson working for the Church—please contact the Archdiocese of Newark at (201) 407-3256.
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