Archdiocese of Milwaukee Releases Clergy Offender Files (7/1/13)
Archdioces of Milwaukee Print Logo  

News Detail

Archdiocese of Milwaukee Releases Clergy Offender Files (7/1/13)

MILWAUKEE – At 1 p.m. today, July 1, the Archdiocese of Milwaukee voluntarily released records related to diocesan priests with substantiated allegations of sexual abuse of a minor. Approximately 6,000 pages of documents selected by the attorneys for abuse survivors, demonstrating how the archdiocese handled allegations of sexual abuse, responded to reports, and dealt with offending priests, were posted to the archdiocesan website, www.archmil.org.

The documents are taken directly from the priest personnel files, files of the bishops, vicar for clergy and other sources within the archdiocese. In addition to the documents, a summary narrative and a timeline of events related to each priest offender, prepared in cooperation and agreement with attorneys for abuse survivors, are posted. 

“My hope in voluntarily making these documents public is that they will aid abuse survivors, families, and others in understanding the past, reviewing the present and allowing the Church in southeastern Wisconsin to continue moving forward,” said Archbishop Jerome E. Listecki. “We can never tell abuse survivors enough how sorry we are for what they endured.”

In general, the documents show some of the following themes:

  • Terrible things happened to innocent children.
  • People were ill-equipped to respond – to victims and families, and to perpetrators.
  • Church leaders and other professionals tried their best to deal with the issue given the knowledge available at the time.
  • Reports of abuse were often not brought to the archdiocese or civil authorities until decades after they occurred.
  • The archdiocese consistently showed care and concern for abuse survivors, and paid for therapy for individuals who were harmed.
  • The incidents of abuse date back 25, 50, even 80 years.
  • The majority of perpetrators were not known to the archdiocese until years after they committed the abuse.
  • In the 1970s and 80s, priests were often removed from their parish for “medical reasons,” sent for counseling and, based upon a recommendation from their therapist or medical professional, reassigned to another parish.
  • Twenty-two priests were reassigned to parish work after concerns about their behavior were known to the archdiocese. 
  • Eight of those 22 priests reoffended after being reassigned.
  • Civil authorities did not always pursue investigations and neither did the archdiocese.
  • Even when priests were prosecuted and found guilty or pled no contest, they often received probation as a sentence and did not go to jail. 
  • People often reported concerns about a priest that were not instances of sexual abuse, but rather concerns about unusual or questionable behaviors, such as uninvited attention/affection – what we know today as possible signs of “grooming.”
  • In the early 1990s, a more formalized approach of outreach to abuse survivors and in dealing with offenders began to emerge.

The documents show the progression and evolution of thinking on this topic. They present one part of the history of what happened and demonstrate how people tried to do their best with what they knew at the time. The complete picture may never be known because the records are not always clear and because many of the people involved are dead or had memories that had faded over the course of decades, in some cases. 

The depositions of Cardinal Dolan, Bishop Sklba, Archbishop Weakland, Fr. Daniel A. Budzynski, Deacon David Zimprich, Chancellor Barbara Anne Cusack and Dr. Barbara Reinke (former victim assistance coordinator), are also posted on our website.

Our goal in the publication of these documents is to try to bring this chapter of our history as a Church in southeastern Wisconsin to a close and to allow us to continue our work with abuse survivors, and to focus on education and prevention. Today, no organization in the world does more to combat sexual abuse of minors than the Catholic Church in the United States. 

For more information related to current sexual abuse prevention and response by the Archdiocese of Milwaukee, visit the following:

www.archmil.org/offices/sexual-abuse-prevention.htm
www.archmil.org/Resources/Policies-Procedures-Protocols-Sexual-Abuse-Prevention-Response.htm
www.archmil.org/offices/sexual-abuse-prevention/mandatory-reporting.htm

Published:2013-07-02
Please wait while we gather your results.
Search for news

Search for News

Search for news articles from our bishops and other archdiocesan offices.

Wisconsin Catholic Conference

Wisconsin Catholic Conference

Get updates from the Public Policy Voice of Wisconsin's Bishops.

CHN Online - Catholic Herald

Read the latest headlines from the Catholic Herald

Catholic News Service

Read national articles from the Catholic News Service

This site is powered by the Northwoods Titan Content Management System
X
 

The Archdiocese of Milwaukee

3501 South Lake Drive
St. Francis, WI 53235

Phone:  (414) 769-3300
Toll-Free: (800) 769-9373
Fax:  (414)  769-3408