Some New Jersey lawmakers are calling for Msgr. Joseph R. Reilly, Seton Hall University’s president, to resign after a Politico report revealed he knew of sexual abuse allegations and failed to report them.
“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,” U.S. Rep. Mikie Sherrill, a Democrat, told Politico.
Sherrill, along with Democratic state senators Joe Vitale and Andrew Zwicker, has demanded that Seton Hall release the internal report and investigations on sexual-abuse claims against former cardinal Theodore McCarrick. Reilly, who isn’t accused of sexual abuse, worked at the seminary at the time of the allegations.
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Some New Jersey lawmakers are calling for Msgr. Joseph R. Reilly, Seton Hall University’s president, to resign after a Politico report revealed he knew of sexual-abuse allegations and failed to report them.
“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,” U.S. Rep. Mikie Sherrill, a Democrat, told Politico.
Sherrill, along with Democratic state senators Joe Vitale and Andrew Zwicker, has demanded that Seton Hall release the internal report and investigations on sexual-abuse claims against former cardinal Theodore McCarrick. Reilly, who isn’t accused of sexual abuse, worked at the seminary at the time of the allegations.
A spokesperson for Seton Hall told The Chronicle thatthe details of the report are confidential. The university did not comment on whether the report would be released. The university’s faculty senate also didn’t respond to requests for comment.
“Seton Hall must take immediate and decisive action to restore faith in its leadership,” Zwicker and Vitale wrote in a joint statement. “The university must unequivocally demonstrate that it stands with survivors and upholds the principles of justice rather than shielding those who enable abuse through inaction. Anything less is a blatant failure to protect its community and fulfill its mission.”
The Details
An internal investigation by a law firm in 2019 found that while working as the seminary leader and member of the board, Reilly knew of allegations that McCarrick sexually abused seminarians between 1986 and 2000 but did not report him.
The investigators suggested Reilly be removed from the seminary and from the board. Instead, Reilly took a yearlong sabbatical and then returned to the university as its vice provost. In July 2024, the Board of Regents unanimously selected Reilly to serve as the university’s 22nd president.
The report comes after an already challenging year for the university’s leadership. Joseph E. Nyre, the institution’s previous president, sued the university in January 2024 claiming his wife was sexually harassed by the chairman of the Board of Regents.
Seton Hall administrators and the Board of Regents are defending Reilly, despite pressure from lawmakers.
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“Throughout his decades of service to Seton Hall, [Reilly] has demonstrated a complete commitment to academic excellence and championed the infusion of our Catholic identity into all aspects of university life,” Henry F. D’Alessandro, the board’s chair, wrote in a statement sent to The Chronicle.
“For these reasons, the Board of Regents unanimously appointed him to be our priest-president, and we continue to have absolute confidence that he will use his role to instill hope and effectively lead the university forward,” he added.
The lawmakers’ demands will prove difficult: State legislators don’t have authority over the private university.
Jasper Smith is a 2024-25 reporting fellow with an interest in HBCUs, university partnerships, and environmental issues. You can email her at Jasper.Smith@chronicle.com or follow her at @JasperJSmith_ .
