Following independent investigation into 1975 sexual abuse allegations, the Diocese of Trenton decides to allow pastor of St. Mary’s Church in Bordentown City to maintain position.
By: Scott Morgan
BORDENTOWN CITY The Diocese of Trenton says it has conducted its own investigation and has no plans to remove the pastor of St. Mary’s Church who was recently accused in a civil lawsuit of sexually abusing a sixth-grader in 1975.
Two weeks ago, a former city resident (the woman was not identified) filed a civil lawsuit against the Rev. Michael Burns, 56, pastor at St. Mary’s Roman Catholic Church on Crosswicks Street. The suit, filed in Mercer County Superior Court, alleges the Rev. Burns sexually abused the woman in 1975 when she was a sixth-grade student at the now-defunct Sacred Heart School in Trenton.
No criminal charges have been filed against the Rev. Burns. He continues to serve at St. Mary’s, said Steven Emery, spokesman for the diocese.
According to Mr. Emery, the complaint against the Rev. Burns was first submitted to the diocese in March 2002. After an investigation, Mr. Emery said, diocesan officials announced it had found "insufficient evidence that abuse of a minor occurred."
In a statement released March 4, the diocese announced that an internal review board "spent extensive time with the complainant (who was flown in from out of state), and later with the accused priest, in an effort to determine what, if anything, happened between them 30 years ago."
Without enough evidence to warrant further action, the Rev. Burns was not removed from his position, the diocese announced.
Attempts to reach the Rev. Burns were unsuccessful; representatives at St. Mary’s, where the Rev. Burns has served as pastor since 1990, forwarded all inquiries to the diocese.
Marc J. Fliedner of Kamensky, Cohen & Associates, who is representing the plaintiff in the suit seeking unspecified damages, said in a written statement last week that his client requested at the time of the original allegations that the Rev. Burns be relieved of his position.
Mr. Fliedner stated that during her testimony to diocesan officials in 2002, some clergy members appeared empathetic while others appeared confrontational and attempted to undermine his client’s credibility.
"The line of questioning was definitely adversarial in nature," Mr. Fliedner said.
Mr. Emery said the diocese handled the situation appropriately, filing all complaints with the prosecutors’ offices of both Burlington and Mercer counties. Because there are no criminal charges, the prosecutors’ offices are not handling the case.
"We treat every complaint of sexual abuse with the utmost seriousness," the diocese said in a written statement. "We encourage victims of sexual abuse to report their allegations (to) the Rev. Monsignor Gregory Vaughan at (609) 406-7400."