BishopAccountability.org
	Confession of Sin Necessary for New Beginning By Mike Nichols Superior Telegram January 7, 2011 http://www.superiortelegram.com/event/article/id/49284/group/Opinion/ About the same time the Archdiocese of Milwaukee filed for bankruptcy the other day, Archbishop Jerome Listecki apologized to victims who were sexually abused by priests and stated that he is deeply ashamed. I think we have to take him at his word. He stated that he wants to do as much as he can to compensate those who have been abused. As a Catholic who grew up in the pews and still sits in them, I'd badly like to believe that as well. He stated that – "by serving as a final call for legal claims" – the bankruptcy will allow the church to "move forward" and have "a new beginning." That will take much more than just a statement, or a bankruptcy filing, or even a fervent prayer. Around two dozen people have claims pending against the archdiocese alleging abuse, and the clear hope is that, once those cases and others brought in the near future are resolved with monies set aside during the bankruptcy process, the church can move on with a clean slate. There is only one problem. Many Wisconsin victims of clergy abuse have long been prevented from filing claims because politicians in Madison have refused to relax statutes of limitation. Time and again, victims have asked legislators to give them at least a limited window of opportunity to file suit. Time and again, at least partly because of lobbying by the church, they have been stymied. Just a year ago, Listecki went to Madison himself to testify against a bill, the Child Victims Act that would have given more victims the right to file suit. One of his major concerns, he told lawmakers, was that the bill could bankrupt the archdiocese. That concern is, of course, now irrelevant. The bill died, and the archdiocese went bankrupt anyway. I called the archdiocese and asked if, now that bankruptcy is a fact, the church would change course and lobby for a change that would allow more victims to file claims in state court. The short and unfortunate answer: No. The archdiocese continues to feel that "window" legislation would unfairly target the Catholic Church and treat it differently than, say, public schools and governments, said Jerry Topczewski, the archbishop's chief of staff. With all due respect, so what? The archdiocese of Milwaukee is already in bankruptcy. Any claims initially made in state court will apparently be paid off with limited funds set aside in federal court. This isn't really about money anymore. It's also not about government boards run by elected officials. It's about a church that is supposed to be a paragon of moral clarity and virtue, and relies on the faith of its members. Anyway, what now – other than the money that is now protected by a bankruptcy court – does the Archdiocese of Milwaukee have exactly to lose? Its secrets? Jeff Anderson, the St. Paul attorney who represents 23 alleged victims with claims against the Archdiocese of Milwaukee, says the bankruptcy filing is nothing but another attempt to delay the depositions of top church officials who still don't want to answer questions about which priests were accused and when. He also says there are still all sorts of victims who are being prevented from filing claims in this state. The Child Victims Act, he says, "absolutely should be reconsidered and reintroduced." He is right. Until all victims can file claims with some legal backbone to them, the archdiocese will never be able to sincerely say it made an effort to compensate all victims. It will not be able, in any truly meaningful way, to move forward with a new beginning. And neither will any of the other dioceses in Wisconsin trying to find a way to someday – bankruptcy or not – have a new beginning as well. Mike Nichols is a syndicated columnist who spent 18 years writing about Wisconsin for the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. He is now a senior fellow at the Wisconsin Policy Research Institute. This column represents only his personal opinion. Contact him at MRNichols@wi.rr.com.
Any original material on these pages is copyright © BishopAccountability.org 2004. Reproduce freely with attribution.