BY LEV D. ZILBERMINTS
SOUTH ORANGE – Monsignor Joseph Reilly, the 22nd and current president of Seton Hall University, is facing tough questions about not reporting sexual abuse allegations during his tenure as dean of the university’s Immaculate Conception Seminary School of Theology, back in 2012.
According to “Asbury Park Press” of February 20, 2025, “Reilly is a 1987 graduate of Seton Hall who in 1994 served as priest secretary to the since – disgraced Theodore McCarrick, who was archbishop of the Archdiocese of Newark at the time. McCarrick was defrocked by Pope Francis after allegations of sexual misconduct with seminarians and minors over a period of decades were found credible.”
According to “Asbury Park Press,” Reilly returned to Seton Hall’s seminary in 2002 as a rector, and in 2012 became dean of the university’s Immaculate Conception Seminary School of Theology.
Questions surrounding Monsignor Reilly
There are a number of big questions here. When did Monsignor Reilly know about the sexual harassment? Why did Monsignor Reilly not report the complaint to his superiors?
According to Politico’s December 21, 2024 online issue, Reilly “investigated a student complaint of sexual harassment (at the seminary) … and did not report it or follow the school and federal Title IX policies and procedures.”
According to Politico, which was the first media outlet to investigate the scandal, the seminarian was dismissed from the seminary, but the university was not alerted to the problem and he continued as a student at Seton Hall.
The unanswered question is, why was the university not informed? Why were Title IX regulations not followed?
Possible answers
It is plausible that those working at Seton Hall University are trying to protect the reputation of the university and its image as a prestigious Roman Catholic school. If dirty secrets exposed to the light of day, the school might see a drop in its enrollment. Perhaps for this reason Reilly might have been quiet about what he saw and heard.
Another important point is the history of the Roman Catholic Church. It has been publicly known for a long time that some priests molested boys. These shameful actions have been concealed by the church. Those who were allegedly guilty were quietly moved around by the church from one place to another. Thus, the Roman Catholic Church has a vested interest in keeping things secret.
What former President Joseph Nyre warned about
Joseph Nyre was the 21st president of Seton Hall University from 2019 until abruptly resigning in July 2023. The former president and his wife, Kelly Nyre, sued Seton Hall University alleging harassment, intimidation, sexual harassment.
“Local Talk” ran a series of articles in 2024 about Joseph and Kelly Nyre’s allegations of harassment, sexual harassment, intimidation, and more. According to a February 7, 2024 article in the New York Times, R. Armen McOmber, one of the lawyers for the Nyres, said that they did not sue Mr. Marino, the former chair of the Board of Regents, because their issue is with the university and how they acted, not with the core of the problem.”
Mr. McOmber told the New York Times, “If the University had acted appropriately, there would not have been a problem. The university has a responsibility to protect employees, investigate and remediate wrongdoing and make sure its policies are followed.”
“At its core, this is about a very principled man and woman who really tried their absolute best to stand up to a university and to a system. My client(s) will do what he has to do to restore what was before he was involved with this university, a sterling reputation,” Mr. McOmber told the New York Times.
Thus, the question is, if then – President Nyre’s wife allegedly suffered sexual harassment, would it be any surprise that other people might suffer similar incidents?
Survivor group urges resignation of President Reilly
According to a Politico.com January 9, 2025 online article “Seton Hall president urged to resign” SNAP survivor group said in its December 23, 2024 press release, “The findings about Monsignor Reilly, as well as anyone else named by the investigators, must be made public.
Moreover, those who knew about those internal findings, and who still helped to make the Monsignor head of Seton Hall, must also be called to account.”
Melanie Sakoda, the SNAP support director, said that those not doing their job and turning a blind eye should be replaced.
“It behooves the university to get a handle on how that happened. Who allowed it? Who thought it was a good idea? … They need to come clean about all that,” Ms. Sakoda told Politico.com.
How did Monsignor Reilly become President of Seton Hall University?
On December 21, 2024 nj.com did an interview with Dustin Racioppi, editor of Politico. Racioppi told Brianna Vannozzi of NJ Spotlight that Seton Hall refused to explain how Monsignor Reilly became the school president.
“Well, Seton Hall does not offer much clarity on this. I have asked repeatedly what happened behind the scenes. Was he cleared in any way or did something happen, where the board felt comfortable elevating him to the highest position possible at the university? Didn’t get a clear answer on that, except that the university and its Board of Regents chair, they fully support him. But, it’s still not clear. I mean, the recommendation and through a responsible action plan. Years ago, was there anyone who knew about the alleged sexual harassment or abuse could not hold leadership positions at Seton Hall,” Racioppi said.
According to a Seton Hall University Relations News and Events sheet dated April 2, 2024, “Monsignor Reilly was selected after an eight-month search by a subcommittee of the Board of Regents with input from a diverse cross-section of the University community. Seton Hall received additional guidance from Washington D.C. – based executive recruitment firm AGB search.
According to the SHU student newsletter The Setonian dated February 20, 2025, “…an active alum and donor with knowledge of the situation, who requested anonymity to discuss confidential matters, told The Setonian that the vote (to appoint Reilly President) was not unanimous (unanimity is not required by the university by-laws; an affirmative vote of two-thirds of the membership [of the Board of Regents] is sufficient).
