NJ- Paterson priest charged on sex crimes; SNAP responds

For immediate release: Friday, Feb. 21, 2014

Statement by David Clohessy of St. Louis, Director of SNAP, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (314 566 9790, [email protected])

A retired New Jersey priest has been charged with criminal sexual contact. 

http://www.northjersey.com/news/Retired_Paterson_priest_accused_of_making_sexual_advance_after_performing_wedding.html 

Fr. Philip Briganti allegedly assaulted a man after a wedding. 

We hope, although are doubtful, that this was an isolated incidence. We doubt that's true. In 2005, according to the Observer-Tribune, Fr. Briganti suddenly left his Mendham, NJ parish after someone apparently tried to extort money from him for photos he sent over the internet, according to Mendham police Lt. John Taylor.

http://bishop-accountability.org/abuse2005b-archives/014750.html 

Paterson Catholic officials claim they immediately called prosecutors when they learned about the recent charge. We hope that's true. 

And we hope that Bishop Arthur Joseph Serratelli will use his vast resources to reach out to anyone else who might have been hurt by Fr. Briganti during his tenure in Paterson. We encourage anyone who saw, suspects or suffered abuse to report to law enforcement.

(SNAP, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, is the world’s oldest and largest support group for clergy abuse victims. We’ve been around for 25 years and have more than 15,000 members. Despite the word “priest” in our title, we have members who were molested by religious figures of all denominations, including nuns, rabbis, bishops, and Protestant ministers. Our website is SNAPnetwork.org)

Contact - David Clohessy (314-566-9790 cell, [email protected]), Barbara Dorris (314-862-7688 home, 314-503-0003 cell, [email protected]), Mark Crawford (732-632-7687, [email protected])

 


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