The Roman Catholic Church in New Jersey believes it has found a path to redemption by releasing a list of 188 predatory priests – 108 of them deceased – which it hopes is a step toward “healing for the victims” and the “restoration of trust in church leadership.”

That, to coin a term, is a Hail Mary. There is no catechism to comfort raped children. There is no psalm of purification for this occasion. The disclosure of these credibly accused clerics is important, but sexual assault victims are not likely to be healed by this perfunctory gesture sanctified by Cardinal Joseph Tobin.

To the contrary, many remain haunted by decades of silence, and wonder why names were hidden for so long. They seek the identities of the bishops who engineered the coverup. They will say this confession was triggered only by the creation of a daunting task force, convened to investigate clergy abuse throughout our state by a determined Attorney General.

And they will still seek real transparency and true justice, which can only be found in a court of law.

That time is approaching, with the announcement from Sen. Joe Vitale that his bill to expand the statute of limitations for civil cases brought by childhood victims of sexual assault will finally get a debate and a floor vote next month.

It has been a two-decade pursuit for the indefatigable Democrat from Middlesex County, who has gone up against the church, its lobby, and many political opponents of this particular form of justice.

No one can deny that the existing window for civil action is ludicrously tight. Victims of sexual assault currently have to bring a civil case before they turn 20, or within two years after they connect an existing trauma to their abuse.

That’s just wrong. Victims need time to come forward. Many abused children cannot even understand what happened to them. And by the time they recognize the source of their trauma — which leads to higher rates of depression, substance abuse, and suicide — justice is out of reach.

Sorry, the law tells them. Go live your life and stop complaining.

That was convenient for the church and every other organization that dodged accountability, even as they victimized children. That is why the law must step in.

There is also the matter of the victim compensation fund, which was established by the five dioceses to help the church avoid this kind of litigation. The victims of religious order priests – whom Vitale says represent 20 percent of all victims - are not being given access to the fund. “The Cardinal told me they hope to work on that,” Vitale said. “I’ll take him at his word.”

Tobin affirmed that “this is not an end-point,” and we hope he is in earnest. Mark Crawford, the state director for the Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests (SNAP), has his doubts: “Notice the list didn’t disclose all we need to know,” he said. “Sexual abuse flourishes in secrecy. Daylight, and justice, only come from investigations and civil lawsuits.”

The AG’s investigation is robust. Now the Legislature must certify that there can be no expiration date for justice.

To help bring healing to the victims and restore trust in the leadership of the Catholic Church, the Archdiocese of Newark has released a list of those members of the clergy with credible allegations of sexual abuse of minors: https://t.co/uVSJP74Cab — Newark Archdiocese (@NwkArchdiocese) February 13, 2019

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