Bishop Nicholas DiMarzio
Diocese of Brooklyn
Ordained: 1970
Assigned as follows:
- 1970-1977: St. Nicholas (Jersey City, NJ)
- 1977-1980: Holy Rosary (Jersey City, NJ)
- 1978-1979: St. Boniface Residence, Residence for Working Girls and Women (Jersey City, NJ)
- 1980-1984: Catholic Community Services, Holy Rosary Academy High School (Union City, NJ); Italian Social Service Center (Jersey City, NJ)
- 1984-1990: National Conference of Catholic Bishops (Washington DC) – Migration Committee; United States Catholic Conference (New York, NY) – Catholic Committee for Refugees
- 1990-1991: Our Lady of Mt. Carmel (Newark, NJ)
- 1991-1993: A.I.D.S. Ministry
- 1991-1999: Our Lady of Mt. Carmel (Newark, NJ); Presbyteral Council; Vicariate for Human Services; Catholic Community Services
- 1996-1999: Auxiliary Bishop of Newark, NJ
- 1999-2003: Bishop of Camden, NJ
- 2003-2020: Bishop of Brooklyn, NY
Summary of Abuse Allegations against Bishop Nicholas DiMarzio:
Bp. Nicholas DiMarzio spent his ministry of nearly 50 years in the areas of immigration assistance and refugee resettlement services. He was appointed Auxiliary Bishop of Newark in 1996, named the Sixth Bishop of Camden, New Jersey in 1999, and installed as the Seventh Bishop of Brooklyn in October 2003. Selected by Pope Francis to investigate allegations of sex abuse, he is “recognized as a leader” in combatting sexual abuse in the Church.
DiMarzio also served as a consultant for the John Jay Report in 2004 which analyzed “the nature and scope of the problem of sexual abuse of minors by Catholic priests and deacons in the United States” from 1950 to 2002. He publicly admitted and reported to John Jay that 73 clerics in the Diocese of Brooklyn were accused of child sexual abuse.
For years, DiMarzio refused to release a list of clergy names accused of child sexual abuse. In February 2019, he released a list that contained the names of 108 “diocesan clergy for whom the diocese received allegations of sexual misconduct with a minor”. It is believed the full extent of this list has yet to be released, as the bulk of cases only involved priests ordained between 1930 and 1979.
According to media reports, in November 2019 a man reported to the Archdiocese of Newark an allegation that DiMarzio and the late Fr. Albert Mark repeatedly sexually abused him at the same time as an 11-year-old altar boy from 1974 to 1975 at St. Nicholas Church and School in Jersey City. DiMarzio “emphatically denied” the allegations. In January 2020, the Vatican ordered Cardinal Dolan to investigate the allegation.
In June 2020, an allegation was reported by a second man that DiMarzio repeatedly sexually abused him when he was aged 6-7, in 1979 and 1980, at Holy Rosary Church in Jersey City. DiMarzio denied the claim and remains in ministry. He is the second U.S. bishop to be investigated under the norms of the Vos Estis document since its promotion by Pope Francis in May 2019. It established new procedures for reporting abuse and violence and ensures that Bishops and Religious Superiors are held accountable for their actions.
Horowitz Law is a law firm representing victims and survivors of sexual abuse by Catholic priests and other clergy in the Diocese of Brooklyn. If you need a lawyer because you were sexually abused by a priest in Brooklyn, contact our office today. Although many years have passed, those abused by Catholic clergy in the Diocese of Brooklyn now have legal options to recover damages due to a compensation fund created for victims. Call us at 888-283-9922 or send an email to [email protected] to discuss your options today.