Weakland: Staying in Milwaukee

Rembert Weakland, disgraced former archbishop of Milwaukee, had planned to leave Milwaukee to reside at St. Mary's Abbey in Morristown, New Jersey.

Those plans are off.

From the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel:

Retired Milwaukee Catholic Archbishop Rembert G. Weakland has decided not to move to an East Coast abbey this summer, though he and the head of the monastery on Tuesday offered differing explanations of the decision.

"Differing explanations"?

Why am I not surprised?

Weakland said he rescinded his plans to move to St. Mary's Abbey in Morristown, N.J., on May 18 after Abbot Giles Hayes expressed concerns about his presence in the wake of a New York Times story recounting revelations in his forthcoming memoir.

"It seemed evident to me that they thought my presence there might be a negative element for the school and monastery," said Weakland, who discusses his homosexuality and his handling of clergy sex abuse in the book, "A Pilgrim in a Pilgrim Church," which is due out this month.

St. Mary's is home to Delbarton School, a prestigious boys college preparatory school operated by the Benedictine monks of St. Mary's, about 35 miles from Manhattan.

So Weakland said he didn't feel wanted.

Giles, who is the former headmaster of the school, said Weakland changed his plans without explanation a week earlier, and that he had no reason to believe controversy surrounding the book played a role.

Weakland said that the day he sent the e-mail offering his withdrawal, the Benedictine community was scheduled to meet to discuss concerns about his move.

"I put in the option that I would withdraw if it was a problem," he said.

Given Weakland's delusional behavior and his propensity to lie, I think it's more likely that Giles Hayes' version of the story is closer to the truth.

It seems like the thin-skinned Weakland wasn't satisfied with the way he was being treated.

What did he expect? Did he think they would pretend Weakland had no history?

I suppose the arrogant Weakland thought he could leave behind the negative baggage of his past, and he'd be embraced with open arms by the enlightened East Coast libs.

Perhaps he thought the people of the Archdiocese of Milwaukee were the problem. We were backward and bad and treating him unfairly. Maybe he thought people at St. Mary's Abbey in New Jersey wouldn't care at all about his affair and the $450,000 in hush money paid out by the archdiocese to his former lover. Maybe he thought they wouldn't be bothered by his failure to appropriately deal with sexually abusive priests guilty of preying on children.

If that's the case, how naive!

Weakland made the decision to write his tell-all memoir and cut a deal with the New York Times. That's not exactly the way to keep a low profile.

It's possible this whole thing is a publicity stunt.

The poor embattled Weakland! Rejected by his church!

That tactic might pay off in some sympathy sales of his book, but I don't think it would make much of a difference.

Weakland, 82, said he would remain in Milwaukee.

Wonderful.

Does that mean that we, people of the archdiocese, will fund his living expenses?

I'm not sure how the pensions work for retired priests. Would he be getting a check from Milwaukee wherever he lives?

If he doesn't like living in Milwaukee, there must be some abbey somewhere in the world that would suit him.

Whatever. The people of the Archdiocese of Milwaukee will be paying for Weakland's actions for years to come.

It bothers me that Weakland is attempting to be a sympathetic figure.

Weakland played it that way in 2002, when his affair was revealed to the public, and he's still doing the same thing -- He's acting like he's a victim.

He's not a victim.

Actions have consequences. Weakland needs to understand that and accept responsibility.