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	Archbishop: Proposed Bill Would Bankrupt Dioceses By Todd Richmond WCCO January 12, 2010 http://wcco.com/wireapnewswi/Archbishop.tells.lawmakers.2.1421552.html MADISON, Wis. (AP) ? A bill that would erase the statute of limitations on civil lawsuits against child sex abusers could drive Catholic dioceses in Wisconsin bankrupt, Milwaukee's new archbishop told lawmakers Tuesday. Archbishop Jerome Listecki said the bill would open the church up to lawsuits from people still hurting from sexual abuse from priests and others who believe the church has deep coffers. That would drain resources from charitable causes and could drive dioceses under, he said. "We can't ignore the injustice of targeting the Catholic church," Listecki told the state Senate judiciary committee during a hearing. Current Wisconsin law allows people to bring civil lawsuits against anyone who sexually abused them as a child until the victim turns 35. The bill would wipe out that age limit. Anyone sexually abused after the measure took effect could bring a civil lawsuit whenever they chose. Anyone 35 or older the day the bill takes effect would have three years to file. Supporters say child victims sometimes need years to deal with the trauma of a sexual assault and file a lawsuit. They also maintain the civil lawsuits would identify more potential sexual predators police could investigate. Opponents argue the three-year retroactive window is unconstitutional and would create cases where the facts have become obscured over time. They insist the bill is really about money. Sen. Julie Lassa, D-Stevens Point, one of the bill's primary authors, told the committee victims need time to gather their courage. "The pressure is strong not to disrupt their own home, school, or church," Lassa said. Milwaukee County District Attorney John Chisholm spoke alongside Lassa. Both sides should get their day in court, he said. "Circumstances shouldn't depend on a time clock," Chisholm said. Sen. Glenn Grothman, R-West Bend said the bill is about victims winning big money awards. He wondered whether facts recalled under questionable techniques, such as hypnosis, would lead to legal victories. Listecki, who was installed as archbishop just last week, apologized for the "horrors" of priest abuse, but said the church has made great strides since the scandal erupted in 2002. The church has made sexual abuse safety training for priests, deacons and other church employees mandatory, launched a mediation program with victims and supported a state law that mandated clergy report child sexual abuse. The bill could cripple Wisconsin dioceses, he said. He pointed to similar legislation in Delaware that created a two-year retroactive window for lawsuits. The Diocese of Wilmington faced more than 175 actions and ultimately chose to file for bankruptcy in October. Listecki said Wisconsin bankruptcies could wipe out charitable work such as homeless shelters and food pantries. Lawsuit money awards would come from parishioners, not predators, archdiocese chief of staff Jerry Topczewski told the panel. "The people who pay will be people in the pews," he said. Grothman criticized Rembert Weakland, who resigned as Milwaukee archbishop in 2002 after admitting the archdiocese secretly paid $450,000 to a man who accused him of sexual abuse. He asked Listecki if he thought Weakland's tenure was flawed. Listecki agreed, but said the church has come a long way since then. Grothman replied, "He was just a piece of work. Unbelievable." Moments later he called church officials "screwballs" for allowing Weakland to attend Listecki's installation Mass and not removing a plaque bearing Weakland's likeness. Weakland didn't immediately return an e-mail seeking comment. Topczewski said outside the hearing that the plaque was in place before word of the lawsuit broke. Weakland remains part of the church and deserved a spot at the Mass as much as other bishops who attended, he said. Sexual abuse victims then lined up to tell their stories. A group of deaf men said they were sexually assaulted as boys at St. John's School for the Deaf in St. Francis in the mid-1950s. Interpreter Debra Gorra Barash translated 59-year-old Steve Geier's sign language for the committee. Doing away with the statute of limitations would give young victims time to gather themselves, he said. "When I was a little boy I didn't know what to do," Geier, of Madison, signed outside the hearing, his face a mask of anger. "I was so confused as a child. I was so hurt. I had no support. ... It's very hard still for me to live."
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