Those who have survived sexual abuse by priests are filing formal complaints with the Vatican about several US cardinals — Cardinal Joseph Tobin of Newark and six others.
Sarah Pearson is with SNAP, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, which is filing the complaints.
“The complaint about Tobin is centered on the results of the investigation into … covering up sex abuse at Seton Hall,” she said.
Seton Hall has been the subject of public outcry over the university and Archdiocese of Newark’s refusal to share the results of a 2019 investigation into disgraced former Cardinal Theodore McCarrick’s “influence and actions” at Seton Hall. McCarrick died April 3 at the age of 94.
Pearson said the complaint about Tobin also is prompted by concerns about whether Seton Hall President Monsignor Joseph Reilly helped cover up sexual abuse at the university’s seminary.
“Monsignor Reilly, when he was questioned, he was instructed by the Archdiocese of Newark, which is led by Tobin, to not answer questions about a case from 2014,” she said. “It’s really unacceptable that Tobin is doing this, and we want to draw attention to the fact that the results of that investigation (from 2019) need to be made public,” she said.