Ex-NJ Vice Principal On List Of Priests Accused Of Sexual Abuse

PASSAIC COUNTY, NJ — An ex-Catholic high school vice principal was among several priests named Monday by the Catholic Archdiocese of Washington as being "credibly accused" of sexually abusing minors.

Monsignor Ronald Tully became a priest for the archdiocese in 1970s when he left the Augustinian Order. He was among more than two dozen others who faced allegations of abusing minors since 1948.

The archdiocese did not elaborate on the allegations that landed Tully on the list, but NJ.com reported that a woman settled a lawsuit with Paterson Roman Catholic Diocese in 2015 regarding claims that Tully fondled her 20 times when she was a student at Pope Pius XII Regional High School in Passaic County.

Tully was removed from the church clergy in 2004. The alleged abuse was reported to the Washington Archdiocese in 2011.

“This list is a painful reminder of the grave sins committed by clergy, the pain inflicted on innocent young people, and the harm done to the Church’s faithful, for which we continue to seek forgiveness,” said Cardinal Donald Wuerl, the Archbishop of Washington. “Our strong commitment to accompany survivors of abuse on their path toward healing is unwavering, but it is also important to note that to our knowledge there has not been an incident of abuse of a minor by a priest of the archdiocese in almost two decades. There is also no archdiocesan priest in active ministry who has ever been the subject of a credible allegation of abuse of a minor.”

Tully is not the first area priest to be accused of sexual abuse.

Theodore McCarrick, a former North Jersey priest and cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church, resigned from the Roman Catholic Church's College of Cardinals earlier this summer amid a torrent of sex abuse allegations by seminarians. (See related: NJ Priests Leave Parishes Amid Sexual Abuse Allegations)

Pope Francis knew about the alleged abuses years before they became public and did not punish McCarrick, but instead gave him the power to help select powerful American bishops, retired Archbishop Carlo Maria Vigano said in a letter that was published earlier this year. (See related: Pope Knew Of NJ Priest's Sexual Abuse Of Boys, Archbishop Says)

Email: daniel.hubbard@patch.com

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