Seton Hall president faces resignation calls following report on his knowledge of sex abuse allegations
Rep. Mikie Sherrill described POLITICO's reporting as "deeply disturbing," and state lawmakers intended to deliberate on potential actions in response.
TroibNews 
Lawmakers and victim advocates are urging the president of Seton Hall University to resign following revelations from PMG about his mention in an internal report regarding sexual abuse allegations from over five years ago. There are also calls for the Catholic university to make the findings public to ensure transparency and accountability.
A memo from 2019 detailing the internal investigation, reviewed by PMG, did not accuse Monsignor Joseph Reilly, the new president, of abuse, but indicated that he was aware of allegations of sexual abuse that he failed to report. The memo included recommendations to remove him from his role as a seminary leader and as a member of university boards, based on a responsive action plan adopted by the school's governing body.
Despite these findings, Reilly took a yearlong sabbatical after the investigation, returned as a vice provost, and was appointed president in November.
“I simply have no tolerance for the normalization of sexual assault or support for those who cover up acts of predators. I have college-aged kids; this reporting is deeply disturbing to me,” stated Democratic Rep. Mikie Sherrill, whose district encompasses South Orange, home to Seton Hall, while she is also campaigning for New Jersey governor. She emphasized the need for Seton Hall to "address this situation immediately and can start by publicly releasing the findings of their investigation and recommendations related to Monsignor Reilly."
Andrew Zwicker, vice chair of the New Jersey state Senate Higher Education Committee, expressed that Reilly and any university governing body member aware of his actions should resign. “It’s appalling and disgraceful,” he remarked in an interview. “The fact that we have someone that took a year off and comes back and is installed as president is really just beyond the pale.”
Attempts to obtain comments from Reilly and Seton Hall regarding the calls for his resignation and the potential release of the investigator's report were unsuccessful. However, the university maintained in a previous statement to PMG that the findings remain confidential and asserted that Reilly "shares the University’s unwavering commitment to fostering a safe and supportive environment for all members of our campus community."
Federal lawmakers from New Jersey, along with state legislative leaders and Governor Phil Murphy, either declined to comment or did not respond to inquiries about Reilly and his elevation at Seton Hall.
Zwicker noted that due to the holiday break, he had not discussed with the committee chair or Senate president possible actions, which might include holding a public hearing or examining state funding opportunities for the university. Although Seton Hall is a private institution and not heavily reliant on state funding, some programs and projects do receive state support. As one of the oldest and most respected Catholic universities in the United States, Seton Hall has educated former governors like Chris Christie and members of Congress.
In 2018, the university enlisted two law firms to investigate sexual abuse claims amid credible allegations against former Cardinal Theodore McCarrick, who served as archbishop of the Newark diocese and later was a prominent Catholic leader in Washington, D.C. The investigation uncovered decades of sexual harassment and described a “culture of fear and intimidation” associated with McCarrick, as described in a university summary. The investigation’s key findings, which were presented to the Board of Regents, indicated that Reilly, then rector and dean of the Immaculate Conception Seminary, managed a student complaint of sexual assault internally without following school or federal Title IX procedures. Additionally, it was noted that Reilly expelled a seminarian, an alleged victim of sexual abuse, in 2012 without a proper investigation or escalation, violating university policy.
Reilly, who previously served as the priest secretary to McCarrick, also informed investigators about a 2014 allegation of sexual harassment at St. Andrew’s Hall at Seton Hall but admitted he did not report it.
“The findings about Monsignor Reilly, as well as anyone else named by the investigators, must be made public. Moreover, those who knew about these internal findings, and who still helped to make the Monsignor head of Seton Hall, must also be called to account,” said the survivor advocacy group SNAP. Melanie Sakoda, SNAP’s survivor support director, underscored the importance of not just removing abusers but also those who fail to respond appropriately. “It behooves the university to get a handle on how that actually happened,” she stated, referring to Reilly’s promotion. “Who allowed it? Who thought it was a good idea? ... They need to come clean about all that.”
BishopAccountability.org, another national advocacy group, emphasized the need for accountability, calling for the university to disclose the names of other priests mentioned in the review and provide information about the allegations against them. "They need some kind of external oversight. How many times is Seton Hall going to go through this process of being caught promoting and protecting enablers?” commented Anne Barrett Doyle, a board member of the organization. "I hope that the students and the faculty put a lot of pressure on the administration to remove Msgr. Reilly and release that report. It’s not information that the administration is entitled to keep to itself."
State Senator Joseph Vitale, a prominent figure in sexual abuse issues as chair of the Health and Human Services committee, described the PMG report as "disturbing." He remarked, “The university set the rules that anyone who knew of or failed to report any allegations of sexual abuse could not be part of the university [leadership], so it’s either a rule or it’s not a rule.” Vitale noted the broader context of the Catholic Church's ongoing struggle with abuse, which he attributed to "so many of those in leadership [who] said nothing."
Last month, Seton Hall offered strong support for Reilly. Board of Regents Chair Hank D’Alessandro asserted, “Throughout his decades of service to Seton Hall, he has demonstrated a complete commitment to academic excellence and championed the infusion of our Catholic identity into all aspects of university life,” expressing continued confidence in Reilly’s capability to lead the university forward.
Rohan Mehta contributed to this report for TROIB News
A memo from 2019 detailing the internal investigation, reviewed by PMG, did not accuse Monsignor Joseph Reilly, the new president, of abuse, but indicated that he was aware of allegations of sexual abuse that he failed to report. The memo included recommendations to remove him from his role as a seminary leader and as a member of university boards, based on a responsive action plan adopted by the school's governing body.
Despite these findings, Reilly took a yearlong sabbatical after the investigation, returned as a vice provost, and was appointed president in November.
“I simply have no tolerance for the normalization of sexual assault or support for those who cover up acts of predators. I have college-aged kids; this reporting is deeply disturbing to me,” stated Democratic Rep. Mikie Sherrill, whose district encompasses South Orange, home to Seton Hall, while she is also campaigning for New Jersey governor. She emphasized the need for Seton Hall to "address this situation immediately and can start by publicly releasing the findings of their investigation and recommendations related to Monsignor Reilly."
Andrew Zwicker, vice chair of the New Jersey state Senate Higher Education Committee, expressed that Reilly and any university governing body member aware of his actions should resign. “It’s appalling and disgraceful,” he remarked in an interview. “The fact that we have someone that took a year off and comes back and is installed as president is really just beyond the pale.”
Attempts to obtain comments from Reilly and Seton Hall regarding the calls for his resignation and the potential release of the investigator's report were unsuccessful. However, the university maintained in a previous statement to PMG that the findings remain confidential and asserted that Reilly "shares the University’s unwavering commitment to fostering a safe and supportive environment for all members of our campus community."
Federal lawmakers from New Jersey, along with state legislative leaders and Governor Phil Murphy, either declined to comment or did not respond to inquiries about Reilly and his elevation at Seton Hall.
Zwicker noted that due to the holiday break, he had not discussed with the committee chair or Senate president possible actions, which might include holding a public hearing or examining state funding opportunities for the university. Although Seton Hall is a private institution and not heavily reliant on state funding, some programs and projects do receive state support. As one of the oldest and most respected Catholic universities in the United States, Seton Hall has educated former governors like Chris Christie and members of Congress.
In 2018, the university enlisted two law firms to investigate sexual abuse claims amid credible allegations against former Cardinal Theodore McCarrick, who served as archbishop of the Newark diocese and later was a prominent Catholic leader in Washington, D.C. The investigation uncovered decades of sexual harassment and described a “culture of fear and intimidation” associated with McCarrick, as described in a university summary. The investigation’s key findings, which were presented to the Board of Regents, indicated that Reilly, then rector and dean of the Immaculate Conception Seminary, managed a student complaint of sexual assault internally without following school or federal Title IX procedures. Additionally, it was noted that Reilly expelled a seminarian, an alleged victim of sexual abuse, in 2012 without a proper investigation or escalation, violating university policy.
Reilly, who previously served as the priest secretary to McCarrick, also informed investigators about a 2014 allegation of sexual harassment at St. Andrew’s Hall at Seton Hall but admitted he did not report it.
“The findings about Monsignor Reilly, as well as anyone else named by the investigators, must be made public. Moreover, those who knew about these internal findings, and who still helped to make the Monsignor head of Seton Hall, must also be called to account,” said the survivor advocacy group SNAP. Melanie Sakoda, SNAP’s survivor support director, underscored the importance of not just removing abusers but also those who fail to respond appropriately. “It behooves the university to get a handle on how that actually happened,” she stated, referring to Reilly’s promotion. “Who allowed it? Who thought it was a good idea? ... They need to come clean about all that.”
BishopAccountability.org, another national advocacy group, emphasized the need for accountability, calling for the university to disclose the names of other priests mentioned in the review and provide information about the allegations against them. "They need some kind of external oversight. How many times is Seton Hall going to go through this process of being caught promoting and protecting enablers?” commented Anne Barrett Doyle, a board member of the organization. "I hope that the students and the faculty put a lot of pressure on the administration to remove Msgr. Reilly and release that report. It’s not information that the administration is entitled to keep to itself."
State Senator Joseph Vitale, a prominent figure in sexual abuse issues as chair of the Health and Human Services committee, described the PMG report as "disturbing." He remarked, “The university set the rules that anyone who knew of or failed to report any allegations of sexual abuse could not be part of the university [leadership], so it’s either a rule or it’s not a rule.” Vitale noted the broader context of the Catholic Church's ongoing struggle with abuse, which he attributed to "so many of those in leadership [who] said nothing."
Last month, Seton Hall offered strong support for Reilly. Board of Regents Chair Hank D’Alessandro asserted, “Throughout his decades of service to Seton Hall, he has demonstrated a complete commitment to academic excellence and championed the infusion of our Catholic identity into all aspects of university life,” expressing continued confidence in Reilly’s capability to lead the university forward.
Rohan Mehta contributed to this report for TROIB News
