Weakland and "Criminal Nature"

Rembert Weakland, the disgraced former archbishop of Milwaukee, cannot be as clueless as he claims to be. He just can't.

From the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel:

In the early years of the sex abuse scandal in Milwaukee, retired Archbishop Rembert G. Weakland says in his soon-to-be released memoir, he did not comprehend the potential harm to victims or understand that what the priests had done constituted a crime.

"We all considered sexual abuse of minors as a moral evil, but had no understanding of its criminal nature," Weakland says in the book, "A Pilgrim in a Pilgrim Church," due out in June.

What?

"No understanding of its criminal nature"?

That's ridiculous.

Weakland has been touted as a brilliant man, yet we're supposed to accept as valid his assertion that he had no understanding of the criminal nature of the sexual abuse of minors?

ABSURD.

..."It's beyond belief. He's either lying or he's so self-deceived that he's inventing fanciful stories," said Peter Isely, Midwest director for the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, or SNAP. "These have always been crimes."

It is absolutely beyond belief that Weakland didn't know sexually abusing a child is a crime.

...Weakland has declined to be interviewed by the Journal Sentinel. Weakland said in the book that he eventually came to question the notion that victims would forget or "grow out of" the trauma induced by abuse.

"My general reasoning was that there were probably some kids who 'grew out of it,' and then some who were deeply disturbed for life," he wrote.

SNAP this week issued an open letter asking Weakland to meet with victims.

Weakland responded Friday by saying he would seriously consider it.

"We've been trying to get this from him for 15 years," Isely said.

I am floored that Weakland would dare to claim that he wasn't aware of the criminal nature of the sexual abuse of minors.

He has to be lying. It's disgusting.

Publishers Weekly calls Weakland's book "a moving personal confession."

Based on that "criminal nature" statement alone, I think he needs to write a personal confession about his alleged personal confession.

Weakland simply cannot be believed.

And this man was the head of the Archdiocese of Milwaukee from 1977 to 2002. Talk about not being fit to serve!

I don't know what good it would do for Weakland to meet with the victims. He's positively dishonest or possibly clinically delusional.

But if that's what the victims want, then of course Weakland should agree. It shouldn't require any serious consideration on his part. He at least owes the victims a face-to-face meeting. That's not too much to ask.

After the confession, there usually are consequences.