4 NJ Priests Accused Of Child Sex Abuse In Scathing Report

Four Catholic priests with New Jersey ties are accused of child sex abuse in a scathing grand jury report released Tuesday in Pennsylvania. The report, which took the grand jury years to compile and was released after a state Supreme Court battle, details the alleged widespread sexual abuse of more than 1,000 child victims by 300 "predator" priests in six of Pennsylvania's eight dioceses.

The grand jury said it subpoenaed and reviewed half a million pages of internal diocesan documents, which contained "credible allegations" against the hundreds of alleged predator priests in the dioceses of Allentown, Erie, Greensburg, Harrisburg, Pittsburgh and Scranton.

The 900-page document can be viewed in full by clicking here.

The results are hard to stomach: The grand jury alleges thousands of child victims were manipulated by priests, often with alcohol or pornography. In many cases they were raped, and in nearly every case they were brushed aside by church leaders "who preferred to protect the abusers and their institution above all," the grand jury report states.

The following priests with New Jersey ties are included in the report:

• The Rev. John P. Connor (Francis of Assisi, Vineland; St. Mary, Gloucester, St. Rose of Lima, Haddon Heights; Paul VI High School, Haddon Township; Bishop Eustace Preparatory, Pennsauken.)
• Rev. Augustine Giella (Holy Trinity Church, Hackensack; Our Lady of Sorrows, Jersey City; Church of the Epiphany, Cliffside Park; St. Catherine’s, Glen Rock)
• The. Rev. James Hopkins (transfered to the Diocese of Camden in 1973)
• The Rev. A. Gregory Uhrig (worked as an assistant at St. Francis Cathedral in Metuchen in the 1985 and 1986 )

The bulk of the report, which has been described as the "biggest and most exhaustive ever" investigation into priest sex abuse by an individual state, covers events that occurred before the early 2000s. And even though there are 300 priests named, the grand jury notes: "We should emphasize that, while the list of priests is long, we don't think we got them all."

The investigation revealed many priests admitted to their actions, and were allowed to continue in the ministry for years despite having confessed to molesting children. In one case, after a priest confessed to anal and oral rape of at least 15 boys, a bishop who later met with him commended him as "a person of candor and sincerity," and complimented him on "the progress he has made" in controlling his "addiction," the report states

One priest, who the report said was "grooming his middle school students for oral sex," taught them how Mary had to "bite off the cord" and "lick" Jesus clean after he was born, the investigation revealed. That priest was accused by several victims before he was removed 15 years later, the report said.

Here are six more startling accusations included in the report:

1.) Father Gus Giella, who has ties to North Jersey churches, allegedly abused five sisters in a single family while serving at a Harrisburg church. The grand jury report said he was found to have collected samples of their urine, blood, and pubic hair. He allegedly applied a device to the toilet to collect the samples, which he would sometimes ingest, the report said. After his house was searched and his "collection" was located, the diocese continued to be unwilling to remove him. "At this point we are at impasse – allegations and no admission," a high-ranking church official reportedly said. The priest did admit to his actions years later.

2.) Rev. Edward R. Graff of the Allentown Diocese is accused of raping a boy multiple times. In one particularly violent assault, Graff pushed down on the victim's back with such force that it injured him, the report states. The victim was later prescribed painkillers, and has since passed away from addiction to those painkillers. The victim's mother testified before the grand jury, saying despite the assaults, her son had "kept the faith" and even requested a Catholic funeral mass. "Religion was very important to him and he was so afraid of going to hell that I think that is why he stuck with it," his mother told the grand jury.

3.) Father Chester Gawronski of the Diocese of Erie is accused of fondling dozens of young boys on multiple occasions from 1976 to 1977 under the pretext of showing them "how to check for cancer," the grand jury report said. In 1987, Gawronski provided the diocese with a list of 41 possible victims, confirming that he had performed "the cancer check" on least 12 of them. Despite the fact that complaints mounted, Gawronski was approved to hear confessions for persons with disabilities. In 1997, church leadership sent him a letter thanking him for "all that you have done for God's people during those 21 years of ordination. Only the Lord knows the many acts of kindnesses on your part and the deep faith that you have shown. The Lord, who sees in private, will reward."

4.) Father William Presley of the Diocese of Erie is accused of sexually assaulting victims over the course of 16 years. One victim told the grand jury that Presley invited him to the rectory and tried to hypnotize him before assaulting him. Presley taught the victim how to have sexual intercourse by bringing in a female high school student and using index cards to show them where to touch each other, the grand jury report said. On more than one occasion, the victim said Presley gave him some type of a sedative to relax him prior to abusing him. Presley stated that it was okay "because he was a priest."

5.) Father Edmon A. Parrakow who served at St. Pius X Catholic Church in Mount Pleasant, allegedly told altar boys not to wear any clothing under their cassocks because God didn't want "any man-made clothes to be worn next to their skin while they were serving Mass." Another victim reported that Parrakow took the altar boys into a private room and told them he had to do a "physical examination" on them, during which he would touch them "all over," including their genitals and buttocks, the report said.

6.) Father Michael Lawrence, while a priest at a Reading church, is accused of sexually assaulting a 12-year-old boy by fondling his genitals to the point of pain. After the boy's father told church leadership of the assault, Lawrence was confronted. "Please help me. I sexually molested a young boy," he admitted, the grand jury report said. Records indicate that Lawrence was sent to St. John Vianney Center the same day he confessed. Church leaders, in a document obtained by the grand jury, wrote they had spoke to "the doctor," who informed him that the family of the victim should be given time to "ventilate" and what the victim experienced "may not be a horrendous trauma for the boy."

According to the report, which was initially blocked from release after legal challenges were filed, almost every instance of alleged abuse found is too old to be prosecuted.

The grand jury has recommended four changes in response to its findings.

First, eliminate the criminal statute of limitations for sexually abusing children. Next, create a two-year “civil window" for child sex abuse victims who couldn’t file lawsuits before. Third, penalties for a continuing failure to report child abuse must be clarified. And lastly, prohibit “non-disclosure” agreements regarding cooperation with law enforcement.

"We want future victims to know they will always have the force of the criminal law behind them, no matter how long they live. And we want future child predators to know they should always be looking over their shoulder – no matter how long they live," the report said.

The Pennsylvania Attorney General's office is asking additional victims to come forward. A clergy abuse hotline has been established. That number is 888-538-8541.

RELATED: Catholic Bishops Hid Sex Abuse Of Hundreds Of PA Children: Grand Jury

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