Federal Judge Says No Safety Concern in Milwaukee Archdiocese

By Cary Docter
Fox 6
February 29, 2012

fox6now.com/2012/02/29/federal-judge-says-no-safety-concern-in-milwaukee-archdiocese/

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MILWAUKEE — A federal judge says she has not found evidence that people should be concerned about current employees of the Milwaukee Archdiocese. The judge made comments in court weeks after advocates for sex abuse victims said the Archdiocese faced a personal safety crisis.

"From my independent review, without an agenda, my review shows there is no public safety concern. None whatsoever," Judge Susan Kelley said.

Earlier this month, lawyers for victims of sexual abuse said there were 100 new sex offenders identified in more than 8,000 accounts of sexual abuse (in their claims). This number was well publicized.

Members of SNAP (The Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests) called those numbers a "personal safety crisis." The group wants an investigation into who these people are in case there are current members of the Archdiocese identified in court documents.

In response, the church says they have received calls from concerned parents terrified that sex offenders were still employed by the church.

The church argues all of the cases, including the newly-identified offenders, are from the past. On Tuesday, Archbishop Jerome Listecki released a statement to members of his church saying "Attorneys said there are 75 new priests named in claims who are not listed on the Archdiocesan website. What they neglected to say is that all of the priests are either dead or have been reported to the district attorney."

However, SNAP says they cannot be sure without an independent investigation. On the courthouse steps Wednesday, Peter Isely once again called for an investigation from the Attorney General's Office.

Monitor FOX6 News and FOX6Now.com for updates on this developing story.