McCarrick Abused Young Man At Metuchen Church: Report

METUCHEN, NJ — A North Jersey man told the New York Times that former Metuchen bishop Cardinal Theodore McCarrick sexually abused him for years, and invited him for sleep-overs at the Metuchen rectory.

The man, identified only as James, told the paper the abuse began when he was 11 years old and living in North Jersey. The alleged abuse lasted for nearly 20 years, and James said he would occasionally stay overnight with the then-bishop in Metuchen in the rectory at St. Francis Cathedral when he was a young adult.

This is not the first time young adult men have accused McCarrick of abusing them on property owned by the Diocese of Metuchen. Last week, a group of priests told the New York Times McCarrick would touch them inappropriately during overnight trips to a beach house owned by the diocese. In that same report, McCarrick was accused of sexually assaulting an underage boy while working in New York.

"The abuse of anyone who is vulnerable is both shameful and horrific. The abuse of a minor by a priest is an abomination and sickens and saddens us all," Rev. James F. Checchio, Bishop of Metuchen said.

The Diocese first learned about the additional allegations from the report, a spokesperson for the Diocese told Patch.

"The Diocese of Metuchen will continue to follow its procedure of reaching out to every survivor of abuse – regardless of when it occurred – to offer counseling and help," the Diocese said in a statement.

McCarrick, 88, now lives in the Washington, D.C. area. He has been suspended from the ministry.

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In response to last week's reports, Rev. James F. Checchio, Bishop of Metuchen said no minors had been abused during McCarrick's time in Metuchen, but did confirm the Diocese had settled sexual misconduct allegations with adults.

"This very disturbing report has prompted me to direct that the records of our Diocese be re-examined, and I can report to you that there has never been any report or allegation that Cardinal McCarrick ever abused any minor during his time here in Metuchen," he said last week. "In the past, there have been allegations that he engaged in sexual behavior with adults. This Diocese and the Archdiocese of Newark received three allegations of sexual misconduct with adults decades ago; two of these allegations resulted in settlements."

The Metuchen Police Department told Patch they have not received any complaints of abuse from the parish, or by anyone about the parish. James told the New York Times he recently reported the alleged abuse to police, but it was not clear what agency the report was made to.

"We have not received any complaints. If any were received by us we would turn them over to the Middlesex County Prosecutor's Office," Lt. Aurthur Flaherty said.

McCarrick was a priest for the Archdiocese of New York when the alleged abuse first occurred, said Jim Goodness, spokesman for the Archdiocese of Newark.

Joseph Zwilling, a spokesman with the Archdiocese of New York, said the archdiocese has not seen the allegations beyond what was printed in the Times' stories.

"The gentlemen in question, the person bringing the complaint, neither him or his attorney have contacted the archdiocese yet, nor has law enforcement," Zwilling told Patch. "We hope they do come forward. We look forward to receiving the allegation. The person bringing the allegation would be treated with respect and dignity and we would take it very seriously. We hope they do come forward so that we might be able to assist him in any way we could."

You can read the full New York Times report here.

With reporting by Dan Hubbard, Patch staff

ROME - APRIL 05: Cardinal Theodore McCarrick, arch bishop of Washington, DC is seen at the North American College April 5, 2005 in Rome. The College of Cardinals met for a second day of talks Tuesday to prepare for the conclave that will elect a successor to Pope John Paul II, and tens of thousands of mourners streamed past the pontiff's crimson-robed body as it lay in state in St. Peter's Basilica. (Photo by Marco Di Lauro/Getty Images)