BishopAccountability.org
	Group Accuses Catholic Diocese of Green Bay of Sexual Abuse Cover-Up By Paul Srubas Green Bay Press-Gazette March 3, 2011 http://www.greenbaypressgazette.com/article/20110303/GPG0101/103030559/Group-accuses-Catholic-Diocese-of-Green-Bay-of-sexual-abuse-cover-up The leader of a group representing victims of abuse by members of the clergy and a top official of the Catholic Diocese of Green Bay traded barbs Wednesday over a diocesan policy that may be leading to the destruction of clergy abuse records. Peter Isely, Midwest director of the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, or SNAP, accused Deacon Tim Reilly of conducting a cover-up. Reilly, the diocese's director of administration, accused Isely of conducting a media circus. The exchange happened in the Brown County Courthouse, where Isely called a news conference to repeat charges he made three months ago, that the diocese was destroying records that could possibly be of legal value to victims of clergy sexual abuse. Isely's news conference was held just a day before Outagamie County Circuit Court Judge Nancy Krueger is expected to rule on a motion by two sexual assault victims for a court order prohibiting the diocese from destroying more records. Todd and Troy Merryfield of St. Paul are suing the diocese for allowing former parish priest John Patrick Feeney to abuse them in 1978, when they were parishioners at St. Nicholas Catholic Church in Freedom. Feeney is serving a 15-year prison term on sexual abuse convictions. The case is scheduled for a motion hearing this afternoon before Krueger concerning a diocesan records retention policy, enacted in 2006, two years before the Merryfields filed their suit. The records retention policy is a 146-page document dealing with a whole gamut of records from all diocesan departments, not just personnel files of accused priests, Reilly said. He said the policy calls for destruction of personnel records only in the cases of priests who have been dead for a year or more, and in no case if they concern pending court action. "In connection with this lawsuit, the diocese has produced over 2,400 pages of documents and has cooperated in depositions that probably exceed 100 hours," Reilly said. "It is the view and practice of the Diocese of Green Bay that these materials are produced and depositions taken so the court system can be relied upon to determine a fair and just resolution." Contact: psrubas@greenbaypressgazette.com
Any original material on these pages is copyright © BishopAccountability.org 2004. Reproduce freely with attribution.