Cardinal Joseph Tobin sent a letter to the priests of the Archdiocese of Newark suggesting that priests should not speak to reporters about allegations of misconduct against two priests of the archdiocese. Cardinal Tobin said he would be willing “to meet with any brother who wishes to share his concerns regarding allegations.”
The Catholic News Agency has been doing investigative reporting in Newark:
Tobin began his letter by acknowledging the ongoing scandal of sexual abuse in the Church, following the allegations against Archbishop McCarrick and the release of the Pennsylvania grand jury report. The cardinal said that these events “have shaken and saddened the bishops and priests of the Archdiocese of Newark.”
Turning to the CNA report, Tobin said that while there was “much more to communicate about these open wounds,” he was writing the letter in response to “allegations of misconduct” against the two priests of the archdiocese, Weiner and O’Malley.
The cardinal closed his letter by expressing his hope that CNA’s sources were not actually priests of the archdiocese. However, CNA confirms that the sources for the story were priests of the Newark archdiocese, along with one priest member of a religious order.
The Archdiocese of Newark declined to offer comment or respond to questions from CNA regarding the letter.