Pedophile Priest Ran Sex Ring from Beach House
The Cardinal Theodore McCarrick scandal haunts the Catholic church hierarchy as sex abuse lawsuits continue to mount. McCarrick became the first cardinal to resign from the Catholic church in 100 years when he was forced out in 2019 after several credible allegations of sex abuse were levied against him. Most recently, the defrocked church leader has been accused of running a sex ring out of a New Jersey beach house.
One alleged victim testifies in his lawsuit filing that he was molested by McCarrick and three other priests at McCarrick’s beach house.
The victim – identified as “Doe 14” – is now 53 years old. He says the alleged abuse began when he was just 14, during overnight stays at McCarrick’s Sea Girt home in 1982.
The alleged victim’s attorney said that McCarrick and others with him would creep into his bed at night and sexually assault him, whispering that it was, “OK.”
Other priests would serve as part of a “crew” of procurers of young boys for the then Bishop McCarrick. The suit says that McCarrick would “assign sleeping arrangements, choosing his victims from the boys, seminarians, and clerics present at the beach house.”
Ex-Cardinal Theodore Edgar McCarrick
The complaint further alleges that some of the other boys who were allegedly brought to McCarrick’s home were “assigned to different rooms and paired with adult clerics.” If true, McCarrick was not only a rapist but a virtual pimp running a child prostitution ring.
NJ.com reported that the victim claims he was also abused at the beach house by priests Gerald Ruane, Michael Walters, and John Laferrera. Those three men were among a list of 188 clergy members in New Jersey who were accused of sexual misconduct. Ruane escaped earthly justice by dying, while Walters and Laferrera were listed as “permanently removed from ministry.”
The suit was filed this past summer in New Jersey Superior Court in Middlesex County against the Diocese of Metuchen and the Archdiocese of Newark, where McCarrick served, in turn, as bishop and archbishop. It was also filed against several New Jersey schools the plaintiff attended.
The alleged victim is described as having been raised in a devout Roman Catholic family. He is a former student at St. Francis Xavier in Newark and Essex Catholic in East Orange.
The plaintiff in the lawsuit also claims he was sexually abused as an 11-year-old altar boy at St. Francis Xavier by the Rev. Anthony Nardino. He also alleges he was later molested by Brother Andrew Thomas Hewitt at Essex Catholic. Hewitt, who died in 2002, was principal of that school.
Nardino has not been publicly accused before. According to NJ.com, he left the ministry.
McCarrick defrocked
Pope Francis defrocked McCarrick in 2019 after a church investigation found he sexually abused minors and adult seminarians. The testimony of Archbishop Carlo Maria Vigano implies that Francis acted much too late, that the pope knew for years about McCarrick’s sexual crimes, yet failed to act on them, instead promoting the pedophilic priest.
Sexual abuse allegations against McCarrick have been levied before. James Grein, the first child McCarrick baptized, said McCarrick began molesting him at age 11.
Related: Vigano Letters Unmask Catholic Conspiracy of Silence
Archdiocese of Newark Response
A spokeswoman for Archdiocese of Newark, Maria Margiotta, told NJ.com, “It would be inappropriate to discuss or comment on matters in litigation. The Archdiocese of Newark remains fully committed to transparency and to our long-standing programs to protect the faithful and will continue to work with victims, their legal representatives and law enforcement authorities in an ongoing effort to resolve allegations and bring closure to victims.”
Diocese of Metuchen Response
Anthony Kearns III, spokesperson and chancellor for the Diocese of Metuchen, said the diocese was committed to preventing future sexual abuse.
“(Our) prayers are with all survivors of abuse, today and always. (We) stand with them in their journey toward healing and hope. With God’s grace, all survivors of abuse, particularly those wounded by members of the Church, will continue to heal and move forward.”
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by Matthews & Associates
