Weakland: What He Knew and When He Knew It

Disgraced former archbishop of Milwaukee, Rembert Weakland, makes some ludicrous claims in his soon to be released memoir, A Pilgrim in a Pilgrim Church.

Weakland writes, "We all considered sexual abuse of minors as a moral evil, but had no understanding of its criminal nature."

That, of course, is idiotic.

Clergy sex abuse victims have responded to Weakland's outrageous statement.

From the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel:

Advocates for victims of Catholic clergy sex abuse on Monday released documents they say refute claims by retired Archbishop Rembert G. Weakland that he did not understand early on the criminal nature of the abuse or its long-term effects on victims.

They also disputed statements that he attempted to deal with pedophile priests but was thwarted by Vatican policy.

...The Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests took issue with the claims, and on Monday released documents from a civil fraud case involving the late Father Lawrence Murphy, who is thought to have abused as many as 200 deaf children in the 1960s and '70s.

"He likes to position himself as a critic of the Vatican, the one bishop who stood up to challenge the system," SNAP Midwest Director Peter Isely said of Weakland, in releasing the documents outside the archdiocese's Cathedral of St. John the Evangelist.

"He never once stood up against the system when it came to the molestation and rape of boys" by Murphy at St. John School for the Deaf in St. Francis, where Murphy worked for two decades, Isely said.

...In his book, the retired archbishop says that in the 1970s, he "naively" accepted the notion that victims would either forget or "grow out of" the abuse. He blames the leniency shown by judges toward priests (and other professionals) in sex abuse cases for shaping his views on the perpetrators.

The documents released Monday include victim statements recounting their memories and anguish from as early as 1974; a reference to a 1974 review of allegations against Murphy by the Milwaukee County district attorney's office (no charges were filed because the statute of limitations had expired); and a letter showing Weakland was preoccupied - even after the priest's death in 1998 - with preserving his "good name."

In the letter to a nun explaining why he wanted a private funeral for Murphy, Weakland said: "So far, we have succeeded in preserving his reputation, and I hope we are able to do so in the future."

This is all so disturbing.

I suppose it's good in a way.

Archbishop Timothy Dolan did so much to rejuvenate and heal the Archdiocese of Milwaukee. Because Archbishop Dolan was so exceptional, I think Weakland benefited. Southeastern Wisconsin Catholics could look forward and focus on the future, not looking back on Weakland's many, many disgraces.

Now, with the revelations of Weakland's memoir, his "moving confessional," it's clear that aspects of Weakland's tenure as archbishop need to be examined.

I don't want to revisit this chapter in the history of the Church in southeastern Wisconsin, but it hasn't been appropriately addressed.

Weakland's betrayal of Catholics throughout the region, his failure to adequately carry out his duties in a responsible and lawful and prayerful manner, and his failure to protect the children of the Archdiocese of Milwaukee cannot be ignored.

It's up to the faithful of the Archdiocese of Milwaukee to not allow Weakland to get away with this travesty.

He's not a pilgrim. He's an enabler of child predators.

By transferring pedophile priests, known risks, to other parishes, he endangered innocents. He didn't care.

He knowingly covered up criminal behavior.

Through his book, Weakland is trying to construct a new reality to redeem himself; but he's actually revealing how screwed up his priorities are and how morally depraved he was and is.

Weakland remains in denial. Too many Catholics in the Archdiocese of Milwaukee also remain in denial when it comes to Weakland.