Posted on 07/05/2013 5:03:21 AM PDT by RummyChick
The role of the Catholic Church is to guide and protect its followers. Except, apparently, when it’s protecting its pedophile priests instead.
According to hundreds of documents that were released this week, the Milwaukee archdiocese has ignored eight decades worth of sex-abuse scandals. Instead of investigating sexual assault claims against its priests, the Milwaukee archdiocese, headed at the time by current New York Cardinal Timothy Dolan, either disregarded the claims or simply reassigned priests to unsuspecting parishes. Not surprisingly, this response did not prevent further assaults because it did nothing to address the real problem: pedophile priests.
In fact, the only people that benefited from the arrangement were the sexual assaulters themselves. Records show that one priest molested the same minor close to 40 times in the span of five years, while another assaulted over 200 boys as headmaster at a school for deaf boys. Some were moved over 11 times in 34 years, while others were stayed with the church for close to a decade after the Vatican was notified of their sexual child abuse.
If that’s not disgusting enough for you, consider the fact that Dolan and the Vatican frequently corresponded on the costs of fighting sexual assault claims in court, and when certain sex scandals threatened to surface, Dolan asked permission to move $57 million of the church’s money into a trust fund to protect it from “any legal claim and liability.” In short, prevent it from falling into the hands of those abused and violated by the church’s priests.
Though it apparently takes the Vatican years to respond to sexual assault claims, it took them less than a month to approve Dolan’s financial plan. Their priorities thus far seem to be protecting priests, no matter how terrible their crimes, and protecting their own money.
To add fuel to the already raging fire, even in the rare occurrences that priests are asked to leave, they are often paid close to $20,000. They’re essentially being paid to stop molesting children under the auspices of the Catholic Church. Who knew that sexual assault merited a financial reward?
This new information raises a few key issues. The first is about the credibility of Dolan. Currently, as head of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, Dolan is the highest Roman Catholic official in the U.S. But anyone that has been proven to ignore child abusers under his own roof is not worthy of a position in a religious institution. Dolan’s role in the church should be seriously evaluated.
Second, and more significantly, how is this blatant abuse of priestly power tolerated? The Catholic Church has been infamously connected with pedophilia for a while now, but these records have cemented that link by proving that the church basically protects pedophile priests. Pursuing all of these cases would obviously be incredibly expensive and a PR nightmare, but as a moral and religious organization, ignoring them is terribly hypocritical on the church’s part.
And why aren’t Catholic families more outraged? How can Catholic parents continue to venerate a church whose only real concern seems to be self-preservation?
Are our children an acceptable sacrifice to maintain the Catholic Church?
http://www.archmil.org/reorg/clergy-offenders-info/clergy-offenders.htm
Documents show Milwaukee archdiocese shielded pedophile priests
http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/07/02/us-usa-milwaukee-church-idUSBRE96103M20130702
“In September 2003, Dolan informed the Vatican of abuse by Reverend John O’Brien, who sent a resignation letter to Pope John Paul II a month before, according to the documents.
In November 2003, when he had received no response, records show that Dolan followed up with more two accounts of abuse on the part of O’Brien, according to a document.
It was not until April 2009, that O’Brien was removed from the priesthood.”
Meanwhile Babptists have their panties in a wad over imagined problems with the BSA while across town, Rome is actually burning
Say it isn’t so!
In fact, the only people that benefited from the arrangement were the sexual assaulters themselves. Records show that one priest molested the same minor close to 40 times in the span of five years, while another assaulted over 200 boys as headmaster at a school for deaf boys. Some were moved over 11 times in 34 years, while others were stayed with the church for close to a decade after the Vatican was notified of their sexual child abuse.
If that’s not disgusting enough for you, consider the fact that Dolan and the Vatican frequently corresponded on the costs of fighting sexual assault claims in court, and when certain sex scandals threatened to surface, Dolan asked permission to move $57 million of the church’s money into a trust fund to protect it from “any legal claim and liability.” In short, prevent it from falling into the hands of those abused and violated by the church’s priests.
Though it apparently takes the Vatican years to respond to sexual assault claims, it took them less than a month to approve Dolan’s financial plan. Their priorities thus far seem to be protecting priests, no matter how terrible their crimes, and protecting their own money.
[Faithful Departed author Philip] Lawler points out that while less than five percent of American priests have been accused of sexual abuse, some two-thirds of our bishops were apparently complicit in cover-ups. The real scandal isn't the sick excesses of a few dozen pedophiles, or even the hundreds of priests who had affairs with teenage boys -- the bulk of abuse cases. No, according to Lawler, it is the malfeasance of wealthy, powerful, and evidently worldly men who fill the thrones -- but not the shoes -- of the apostles. In case after case, we read in their correspondence, in the records of their soulless, bureaucratic responses to victims of psychic torture and spiritual betrayal, these bishops' prime concern was to save the infrastructure, the bricks and mortar and mortgages. Ironically, their lack of a supernatural concern for souls is precisely what cost them so much money in the end.
-- from the thread Kneeling Before the World"The Dublin Archdiocese's preoccupations in dealing with cases of child sexual abuse, at least until the mid-1990s, were the maintenance of secrecy, the avoidance of scandal, the protection of the reputation of the church and the preservation of its assets," said the report. "All other considerations, including the welfare of children and justice for victims, were subordinated to these priorities. The archdiocese did not implement its own canon law rules and did its best to avoid any application of the law of the state"....
-- from the thread Pope calls Irish church leaders to Vatican to discuss abuse report
here is a beautiful peninsula across the bay from me that was in the hands of Jesuits for 400 years.
Recently it was purchased by the State for a park. It is rumored here that it was sold to pay for the homosexual court cases against the Church. We are talking tens of millions of dollars for this one piece of land.
Most of us Catholics have been watching this pedophile thing for several years now and have assumed that the Church has been diligent after paying all of these dollars out ,and realizing the urgency of solving the problem that they have been mostly successful in getting rid of the problem.
Are we wrong?? Is it still a problem?
If so is Dolan a part of the problem?
Without attacking the Church Hierarchy it’s time we found out. I am not fond of “No Tolerance “ policies, but in this case it appears that it is needed.
It is OBVIOUS to me that the Popes have been involved with this to protect the infrastructure. It is the same thing all over the world...that doesn’t happen from lower level Priests.
No way the various Popes didn’t know. They might not have known of every case..but this is something that was allowed from the top.
Could a Pope who disagreed take control???
That’s debatable..we will see with the current Pope.
The infrastructure might be too strong.
May be why the last Pope resigned.
Just a few points here. 1. Dolan is a fraud and a gasbag who is OK with Cuomo Catholicism; 2. Archbishop Listecki is a lawyer so there has to be a reason for the document dump; 3. The document dump could be an indication of a split in the USCCB; 4. Every institution’s first priority is self-preservation so Dolan’s coverups were predictable.
The Archdiocese that presided over the Sandy Hook killer is a notorious one for child molesters.
Just recently - after the shooting but don’t remember the month- one of the Priests was outed for being a Transvestite Porn Store owner who wanted to or did deal in Meth.
He was a confidant and I think Secretary at one time for Egan
I’m not Catholic, but the conservative Catholic activists online insist that the Church has been infiltrated and a recent conversation of Pope Francis himself released in the media discusses this infiltration and the existence of powerful “Gay” forces inside the RC Church.
Outside of not supporting gay marriage, the church has taken a pretty tolerant line over the years regarding homosexuality that is certainly not the same as conservative Protestants.
Inside and outside forces could be conspiring together to weaken and neutralize the church, but individuals must face the truth and the best solution would be for the whole truth to honestly come out.
Was Pope Francis giving us some of the truth in his leaked conversation or was it leaked to further discredit him????
I expected more from C. Dolan.
Shame on Me. No wonder the Irish church has only 4% of the previous population attending mass.
More on the Milwaukee Archdiocese bankruptcy plan
FReep Mail me if you want on, or off, this Wisconsin interest ping list.
I will probably be condemned and go to hell for my thoughts.
But we have a hierarchy in the Catholic Church that was picked from the ranks of Priests.
If we have priests in the Church who are Homosexuals it stands to reason that we also have some Homosexuals in the Hierarchy. IMO it is those people the Church has to get rid of.
I am not making accusations against anyone in particular only that I suspect those that have hidden away these pervert pedophile priests for years are themselves not entirely innocent. Even if they are themselves not homosexuals they are not innocent.
It is certain the problem will not go away as long as we have a problem in the leadership. It hurts me deeply that these rumors of priests still exist after years of trying to clean the mess up. There is but one way to clean it up, Get rid of every Homosexual in the clergy.
“The Road to Hell is paved with the skulls of Bishops”.
Not John Paul Ii. Not Benedict, he just left because je couldnt fight the infiltrators any longer. And nkt this one. Look at what he just did releasing this encyclical hes been working ong probably since day one
Better yet read it
This is not about the Ppes mor the heart of the Church but abput yhe enemy and how it qorks. Infiltrating its enemies. The family. Motherhood and the church
Read what the Pors whom you are accusing have written andhave said and done
But c Dolan has been playing footsie with BO since before he yukked it up with him at the al smith dinnr
But dont accuse the Popes wirhout research. Its silly to say the least
Archdiocese of Milwaukee List of Clergy Offenders
Archdiocese of Milwaukee
March 3, 2012
http://www.archmil.org/ArchMil/Resources/COMM/Reorg/Exhibit-E-List-of-Abusers.PDF
[with pdf]
The following diocesan priests of the Archdiocese of Milwaukee have been (or would be if they were still alive) restricted from all priestly ministries due to substantiated reports of sexual abuse of a minor:
Raymond A. Adamsky, Fully Restricted from Priestly Ministry
James L. Arimond, Laicized
Ronald J. Bandle, Deceased
James W. Beck, Left Priestly Ministry
Franklyn W. Becker, Laicized
Michael C. Benham, Laicized
Frederick J. Bistricky, Deceased
Daniel A. Budzynski, Laicized
Peter A. Burns, Laicized
S. Joseph Collova, Excommunicated
Andrew P. Doyle, Laicized (Deceased)
William J. Effinger, Deceased
Ronald Engel, Fully Restricted from Priestly Ministry
George A. Etzel, Deceased
William J. Farrell, Deceased
James M. Flynt, Laicized
James M. Godin, Laicized
Edmund H. Haen, Deceased
David J. Hanser, Laicized
Harold A. Herbst, Deceased
George S. Hopf, Deceased
James N. Jablonowski, Fully Restricted from Priestly Ministry
Marvin T. Knighton, Laicized
John T. Knotek, Deceased
Michael J. Krejci, Fully Restricted from Priestly Ministry
Eugene T. Kreuzer, Deceased
Oswald G. Krusing, Deceased
Jerome E. Lanser, Fully Restricted from Priestly Ministry
Eldred B. Lesniewski, Deceased
Daniel J. Massie, Laicized
Lawrence C. Murphy, Deceased
Michael T. Neuberger, Dismissed from clerical state (case in appeal)
Richard W. Nichols, Deceased
George A. Nuedling, Deceased
John A. O’Brien, Laicized
Donald A. Peters, Laicized
Roger W. Schneider, Laicized
Clarence J. Schouten, Deceased
Vincent A. Silvestri, Deceased
Thomas A. Trepanier, Fully Restricted from Priestly Ministry
Jerome A. Wagner, Laicized
John C. Wagner, Fully Restricted from Priestly Ministry
Charles W. Walter, Fully Restricted from Priestly Ministry
Siegfried F. Widera, Deceased
That sounds like criminal conspiracy. Even the Catholic Catechism recognizes that to hide and protect a sin is to be part of the sin.
If any haven't read Lawler’s book they'll find it both revealing and informative.
Can a lay Catholic can get to the bottom of this without holding the bishops accountable, i.e. causing them to submit to some kind of lay authority? I can't see how any Catholic or non-Catholic layperson can do with this without being viewed as "attacking the Hierarchy".
One of the problems a lay Catholic will encounter in their investigation is that the bishops have steadfastly defined themselves as only being part of the solution, never part of the problem. Case in point: the John Jay report (commissioned by the USCCB) used five different categories to summarize how the bishops responded to reports of abuse within their dioceses. Those categories were innovators, early adopters, early majority, later majority, and laggards.
IMO a sixth category is missing, which says everything about bishops' complicity in the problem. Remember that the USCCB sponsored the John Jay Study. Knowing what we do about bishops like Milwaukee's Rembert Weakland, the missing sixth category for bishops should have been called "enablers" if not "perpetrators". A decade later, we know that such a category exists, but we didn't hear it from the USCCB.
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