Catholic Bishop Abuse Reporting service available to local, nationwide survivors of abuse

PISCATAWAY – A third-party reporting service is now in place to receive claims of abuse against U.S. Roman Catholic Bishops.
 
The Catholic Bishop Abuse Reporting (CBAR) service was launched by the U.S. Bishops in March as part of their ongoing commitment to carrying out Pope Francis’ Motu Proprio Vos estis lux mundi – or "You are the light of the world" – issued in May 2019.
 
A link to the reporting service can be found on the Diocese of Metuchen’s website, www.diometuchen.org. Reports can also be made by visiting www.reportbishopabuse.org or calling 800-276-1562.
 
“While this reporting service echoes the measures Bishop James F. Checchio had already implemented in our local Church, the nationwide service ensures independent reporting. This is available to survivors of abuse throughout the U.S. Catholic Church,” said Anthony P. Kearns III, Esq., spokesperson and chancellor of the Diocese of Metuchen.  
 
Prior to the release of the Motu Proprio, Bishop Checchio announced the formation of a senior team of lay men and women in August 2018. By this measure, Bishop Checchio established an independent reporting structure outside the Diocese of Metuchen to allow priests, deacons and seminarians to bring forward an allegation against anyone in authority in the Church, including himself, without fear of retribution.
 
“No survivor of abuse should be in a position where they feel a sense of fear or powerlessness to report their abuser or those who intentionally concealed their abuse,” said Kearns. “By the implementation of this third-party service, should a person be the survivor of abuse at the hands of someone in the hierarchy of the Church, the survivor is empowered to report their abuse to law enforcement officials and also through this third-party independent source, no matter who their abuser.” 
 
The CBAR service is operated by Convercent, Inc., an independent, third-party entity that provides intake services to private institutions for reports of sensitive topics such as sexual harassment through a secure, confidential, and professional platform.
 
If a report is received through the CBAR service about a New Jersey bishop, it will be forwarded to the local metropolitan bishop, Cardinal Joseph W. Tobin, C.Ss.R., Archbishop of Newark, who will undertake the responsibility of initially assessing the report. In the event the report concerns Cardinal Tobin, it would be forwarded to the senior bishop of another diocese in New Jersey.
 
Cardinal Tobin, with a team of competent experts in the fields of law enforcement, law, counseling and human relations, will conduct an initial assessment and forward that assessment, along with the unedited report, to the Apostolic Nuncio in Washington, D.C. The Apostolic Nuncio will then forward both the report and assessment to the Holy See for a determination about whether an investigation is warranted.

The Catholic Bishop Abuse Reporting service allows individuals to report U.S. bishops who have:

• forced someone to perform or submit to sexual acts through violence, threat, or abuse of authority;
• performed sexual acts with a minor or vulnerable adult;
• produced, exhibited, possessed or distributed child pornography, or recruited or induced a minor or vulnerable adult to participate in pornographic exhibitions;
• intentionally interfered with a civil or Church investigation into allegations of sexual abuse committed by another priest or deacon.

The third-party service does not replace existing reporting systems for complaints against priests, deacons, religious brothers or sisters, or lay persons working or volunteering for the Church, which were established in 2002 with the Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People. The reporting of sexual misconduct by anyone in diocesan ministry should continue to be reported to local law enforcement and the Diocesan Response Officer at (908) 930-4558, in accordance with the Diocese of Metuchen’s child protection policy.
 
“The implementation of the Catholic Bishop Abuse Reporting service reaffirms the commitment of Bishop Checchio and his brother bishops to live according to the Gospel and to place themselves under the same high standards applied to their priests, deacons, and lay personnel,” said Kearns. “This service is another step forward in ensuring accountability is maintained on all levels and is the latest in a long history of actions taken by the Diocese of Metuchen to combat the sins of the past.”