Watch CBS News

Newark Archbishop Appoints New Deputy In Wake Of Abuse Case

NEWARK, N.J. (CBSNewYork/AP) - The archbishop of Newark has appointed a new top deputy to replace the administrator who stepped down last month in the wake of a scandal involving a former priest.

The Rev. Edgar M. da Cunha was named Thursday to the post of vicar general in the archdiocese, home to 1.3 million Catholics.

Da Cunha is the country's first Brazilian-born bishop and has served in the archdiocese since the 1980s.

His predecessor resigned amid what Archbishop John Myers called operational failures in the oversight of the Rev. Michael Fugee.

Fugee, who also resigned, has been charged criminally with violating an agreement with law enforcement barring him from working with children. The 2007 agreement stemmed from an allegation he had fondled a boy in Wyckoff.

(Copyright 2013 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

You May Also Be Interested In These Stories

View CBS News In
CBS News App Open
Chrome Safari Continue
Be the first to know
Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting.