Newman, Robert (Fr.)

Father Robert Newman was ordained in 1981. On February 2, 1987, Father Newman admitted to committing multiple acts of sexual child abuse between 1971 and at least 1986. Archdiocesan records contain a list of twelve victims, all boys aged nine to fifteen, with details of the abuse, including dates, locations, and types of abuse. The first survivor was a twelve-year-old boy who Newman fondled and orally raped on several occasions between 1971 and 1972. Newman disclosed that the boys were neighbors and not connected to the church. He resigned as pastor of Most Precious Blood Parish on the same day, and Archbishop Borders accepted his resignation. The Archdiocese informed parishioners of Newman’s resignation but did not disclose the sexual abuse.

Archbishop Borders wrote a letter to an official in France, stating Newman’s admission and expressing concerns for the victims. Newman never faced criminal charges and received clearance conditioned on receiving treatment. He attended a program at Johns Hopkins Hospital and later the Institute of Living in Connecticut. After completing the program, he returned to ministry in the Archdiocese of Hartford. In 2002, the Archdiocese of Baltimore notified the Archdiocese of Hartford of Newman’s past abuse, resulting in his removal from the parish.