Roman Catholic Priest Rev. Marcin Nurek was released pending charges a day after being charged for groping a 13-year-old girl, fondling her buttocks over her underwear, and calling her "sexy." The newly-ordained Polish immigrant will not be forced to wear a monitoring device while awaiting trial. On Wednesday, a judge rejected a request from Morris County prosecutors that he remain incarcerated or at least be monitored while awaiting sentencing.
The 37-year-old priest is facing charges of child endangerment and criminal sexual conduct. Nurek is currently on administrative leave from the Diocese of Paterson.
Administrative leave does not preclude the return to the ministry at a later date so he is not currently "defrocked." Nurek had been ordained just last month and was not yet a practicing minister. He was scheduled to begin his practice on August 15 and would serve as Parochial Vicar of Saint Catherine of Siena in Mountain Lakes.
Video allegedly shows the attack
The priest was caught on surveillance video which shows the figure alleged to be the priest following a group of four girls. The man, identified as Nurek, is seen carrying a backpack and trailing behind the girls. He catches up to them and grabs one of the girls under her skirt and rushes off. This event occurred in broad daylight on Main Street in Boonton.
The alleged victim and Nurek are not believed to have known one another. Nurek was apprehended by police about 20 minutes later on Essex Avenue. The Diocese of Paterson reports that he had received instruction regarding proper conduct with children and his October 2014 international criminal background check came back clean.
Just recently a priest in Massachusetts was released on similar charges.
Case draws protesters
Since the release of Marcin Nurek, a rally led by a non-profit that aims to protect victims of sexual abuse has made their presence in the area known. NBC New York reported that Bob Hoatson, a former priest, and victim of clergy abuse himself, was among the attendants demonstrating outside the courthouse.
"We're here to say that children are the priority, they must be the priority, and the church has to change its structure to enact better policies and procedures to protect them," he remarked. Protesters will be back Wednesday for Nurek's initial appearance before a judge. Many of the demonstrators were victims of clergy abuse themselves. Signs reading "Church can't protect kids, strong laws can" and "End limitations for sex abuse" were held at Tuesday's protest. The Catholic Church spoke out recently, calling pedophilia a disease as of this year.
