Newark Catholic Arch-Diocese Settles with Sex Abuse victims in Priest Case

Settlement slap on wrist for disgraced priest, formerly at St. Al's

Rev. John Laferrera
Diane Lilli
Posted

The arch-diocese of Newark has reached a settlement in the 6 figures with the victims of sexual abuse, who brought charges against a well known priest from our area.

Rev. John Laferrera was accused by 6 young men, who said he sexually abused the when they were young.

Laferrera was most recently at St. Philomena Roman Catholic Church in Livingston, but had been at St. Aloysius Church in Caldwell for 12 years, from 1992 to 2004, and worked with many children. He is no longer a priest.

The settlement will be shared by the 6 young men, who each had stories about sexual abuse, including one victim's tale of being drugged and raped. Ernest Fabregas was the first person to go public with his accusations and soon after, other men followed with their own stories. After he went public with his story, 5 others also joined in his lawsuit, bringing pressure to the diocese.

Altar boys and brothers Samuel and Daniel Rivera also joined in the lawsuit, and said they had been victimized as boys in their Newark church, Immaculate Conception.

But victims, though they will share in the 6-figure settlement, will not stop the former priest from collecting his pension or being in retirement without having to serve any jail time, since a settlement means there will be no formal trial or sentencing, or day in court. Laferrera was never convicted of any crimes, and the settlement stops a trial.

And, a settlement also means no one in the case will be allowed to discuss the details in public, though it also looks like the Arch-diocese of Newark is admitting guilt and avoiding a publicly embarrassing trial.

Angel Nieves also accused the former priest of abusing him, saying he was only 12 years old when Laferrera put his hands into his pants.

However, the settlement does prove the diocese sees merit in the accusations, and decided to stop all information about sexual abuse from going public.

According to published reports, there are more young men, once boys, who are also joining in on the lawsuit.

Bishop Accountablity.org reports that "5,679 persons who allege sexual abuse by Catholic clergy. These survivors are only one-third of the 15,235 allegations that the bishops say they have received through 2009, and they are only 5% of the 100,000 U.S. victims that Fr. Andrew Greeley estimated in a 1993 study. Important as these settlements are, they represent a minority of known cases, and a tiny fraction of all the abuse perpetrated by Catholic clergy."

The Bishops website goes on to report "Catholic priests who have been accused of sexual abuse number between 5,700 and 10,000, but because of restrictive statutes of limitations, only a few hundred have been tried, convicted, and sentenced for their crimes. The rest are never listed on a Meghan's Law list, and society bears the terrible cost of their continued access to children."

Chalk this settlement up for one more slap on the wrist for an alleged child abuser who was privy to children as a beloved, trusted leader: their priest.


Updates to follow.

PREVIOUSLY PUBLISHED ARTICLE 07-08-2011


Livingston Priest, Formerly in Caldwell, Leaves Post as Child Abuse Allegations Grow

Add St. Philomena Church in Livingston to the many churches around the globe that watched a priest leave due to child sex allegations.

The Rev. John J. Laferrera, the monsignor of St. Philomena's Roman Catholic Church that is located in Livingston, announced he is leaving his post since he and the Arch diocese of Newark are being sued for sex abuse. Before working at St. Philomena Church, Laferrera was at St.

Aloysius Church in Caldwell.

Four men filed suit against Laferrera and the Newark Diocese on March 4, and in a class action civil lawsuit said he abused them when he was a priest at the Immaculate Conception Parish in Newark during the 1970's and 1980's.

Now, with intermittent protests in front of the St. Philomena Church in Livingston and more men stepping forward with claims of abuse, Laferrera has stepped down for a leave of absence.

The church has come under fire for years due to their handling of sex abuse cases, often shuffling them under the rug or trying to discredit the accusers. For more than 30 years, the Catholic church has been criticized for not handling the many accusations of child sex abuse properly and according to the New York Times it has cost them more than $2 billion in settlements.

In March 2009, alleged sex abuse victim Ernie Fabregas went before the Archdiocesan Review Board but they said he was not "credible".

Now, Fabregas has been joined by brothers Samuel and Daniel Rivera, who also allege the priest sexually abused them.

Rivera said he was fondled by Laferrera at both the Immaculate Conception Church in Newark and also at a private home when he was between 12 - 14 years old.

Rev. Gerald Buonopane read a statement by Laferrera to the public after church on Sunday, saying "It is said that in this country which values the presumption of innocence, that priests are treated as guilty immediately," Laferrera said. "My reputation has been damaged, and I must use all energies to repair it -- although I know in my heart that such damage may be irreparable."

As of today, 4 men have come forward to file suit against him with sex abuse claims. Sources say it is expected more accusers will follow.

If you have any information about this priest and would like to share, please email diane@thejerseytomatopress.com