NJ probe could uncover details of clergy abuse at Delbarton school

Disturbing details of clergy abuse at the elite Delbarton school in New Jersey could be made public thanks to a recent court decision — placing the spotlight on a former top church leader who could be the state’s next cardinal, The Post has learned.

Auxiliary Bishop Elias R. Lorenzo — a potential successor to Newark Cardinal Joseph Tobin, who will reach the mandatory retirement age in May 2027 — served for three decades as a teacher and clergy leader at the all-boys Catholic school in Morristown.

During his time, at least 30 students came forward with sexual abuse allegations against Delbarton clergy, the Survivors Network of those Abused By Priests said — some with lurid claims of being brutally abused hundreds of times by Benedictine monks.

In June, the state’s top court ruled that a new grand jury investigation into clerical abuse across the state can move forward — which insiders say will include examining claims of a cover-up at the exclusive school.

The Camden Diocese battled to block the investigation in court for seven years but announced they were dropping the fight in May, according to NorthJersey.com.

“From what I know, it would make sense for them to include Delbarton in the investigation,” New Jersey State Senator Joe Vitale told The Post of the grand jury investigation.

“You would certainly want to know how leadership played a role in all of that,” Vitale said. “And everyone who played a role at Delbarton at the time that abuse was alleged to have occurred should be part of the discussion.”

A similar grand jury investigation in Pennsylvania in 2018 revealed that over 1,000 children had been victims of clergy abuse, the AP reported. It was considered the most extensive examination of a state’s Catholic clergy abuse at the time.

Delbarton — a Benedictine Catholic middle and high school in tony Morristown where tuition is $48,725 a year — boasts a long list of famous alumni, including “Game of Thrones” star Peter Dinklage, Yankees starting shortstop Anthony Volpe and former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie’s sons.

But for the last decade and a half, the school has been in the news over sex abuse allegations against several clergy members at the school — including a former headmaster.

Most recently, a 2021 lawsuit filed by a former student claims that he was raped and abused more than 150 times by a trio of monks as a Delbarton seventh grader in the 1970s.

Lorenzo served as Prior at St. Mary’s Abbey — the second-in-command of the Benedictine order that oversees the school — from 1995 until 2002, and later served as the rector of the Abbey Church and on an abuse review board until 2008. He also taught at the school during this time.

A spokesperson for Delbarton said that Lorenzo was never part of decision-making on the review board but did not respond to other questions asked by The Post.

Delbarton released a public letter in 2018, acknowledging that 30 victims claimed they were abused by 13 clergy members at the school.

But survivors have long accused the school of waging a campaign to silence them, according to NJ.com. 

Victim Tom Crane, whose lawsuit was settled in 2018, told the Daily Record that he endured a “nightmare of intimidation” after filing the suit claiming he and his brother were sexually abused by two Delbarton monks in the 1970s.

His attorney Gregory Gianforcaro, who currently represents 31 plaintiffs against Delbarton and nearly 50 victims total, said prosecutors are certain to include the school in the new grand jury investigation.

“I am confident that once the results of this investigation are public that there’s going to be a lot of information that will surface about the survivors,” Gianforcaro told The Post.

The New Jersey Attorney General’s Office told The Post that it could not confirm or deny any details about the investigation, and the Archdiocese of Newark said the AG’s Office has not contacted them.

In 2020, the late Pope Francis appointed Lorenzo — along with two others — as Auxiliary Bishops of Newark. 

When current Cardinal Tobin reaches his mandatory retirement age in 2027, insiders said Lorenzo will be among four bishops who could be in contention for the prestigious role. 

The Archdiocese’s office did not comment on Lorenzo’s behalf, but said the process to appoint a cardinal is “a complex, confidential and lengthy one.”

One organization — Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, or SNAP — is calling for Lorenzo to be removed from consideration entirely, claiming in a statement last week that he was “complicit in the cover-up at Delbarton.”

“Bishop Lorenzo’s rise cannot erase the pain experienced by Delbarton survivors,” said Mark Crawford, SNAP’s New Jersey coordinator. “It is unacceptable that someone who held authority during decades when so many students were being preyed upon should now be considered for further promotion. 

“Our members demand transparency and accountability,” Crawford added. “Under Lorenzo’s watch, children were abused by wolves in sheep’s clothing.”