Atonement Requires Revealing the Truth

By Peter Isely and James Connell
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
April 3, 2012

http://www.jsonline.com/news/opinion/atonement-requires-revealing-the-truth-rh4rudc-146015905.html

The Catholic Archdiocese of Milwaukee, which faces more than a dozen civil fraud lawsuits over its handling of clergy sex abuse cases, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in January. As the case proceeds, we'll have updates, analysis, documents and more.

In a long-awaited court motion to be heard on Thursday in federal bankruptcy court in Milwaukee, 570 victims/survivors of childhood rape and sexual assault by Catholic clergy and other church personnel will petition Judge Susan V. Kelley to release the sealed testimony of the two former Milwaukee bishops most responsible for decades of concealing and transferring known offender priests, Archbishop Rembert Weakland and Bishop Richard Sklba.

The motion, supported by the Creditors Committee appointed by Kelley, also will ask to unseal all evidence in the 570 claims, once appropriate redactions have been made. Milwaukee Archbishop Jerome Listecki has instructed his lawyers to oppose the motion. The archdiocese consistently wants to withhold this information.

For Catholics, confessing sin is good for the soul. Listecki acknowledged as much in a special clergy abuse Mass of Atonement last week. But confession in the Catholic Church requires penance, which is an action of justice that attempts to repair the harm. In other words, we cannot move from confession to healing without doing penance, and that includes doing justice and being truthful.

Regarding clergy sexual abuse cases, Catholic Church leaders in Milwaukee and throughout the country seem to sidestep the need for substantial and difficult penance as a necessary ingredient for healing and peace.

Last week, Listecki claimed his principle objection to the release is that, although he couldn't explain how, it would result in the identification of victims' names and identities.

Nothing could be further from the truth. On this point, all parties involved in the bankruptcy agree: Not a single victim's name or identity will ever be made public, unless the survivor chooses to do so.

The language in Thursday's court petition is crystal clear: "The motion seeks to have all information regarding survivors' identities redacted and all information regarding alleged abusers who have not yet been publically identified redacted as well." In every church bankruptcy, including the most recent in the diocese in Wilmington, Del., all victims' names and identities were removed from documents before release. And, in every court-ordered release of documents from the Milwaukee Archdiocese to date - including the abuse files of the late Father Lawrence Murphy, the late Father Siegfried Widera, Father Bruce McArthur and Franklyn Becker - all victim names and identities were redacted. No harm resulted.

Finally, giving public notice of the names and crimes of the over 100 newly alleged offenders in the bankruptcy files, once substantiated, also can be easily accomplished without revealing the identities of victims. The archdiocese already has done so, publishing on the website of the archdiocese the names of 44 priests against whom there is a substantiated allegation of a sexual abuse of a minor. The archdiocese does not reveal the names of victims in these cases.

It is good that Listecki celebrated a Mass of Atonement as April, Child Abuse Prevention Month, begins. But it would be even better if the archbishop would courageously lead the church in the revelation of the complete truth regarding the clergy sexual abuse crisis, hold responsible those who failed to protect children and let parents know which priests and other church ministers sexually assaulted children.

Without a doubt, doing so really would be celebrating trust and faith in the risen Lord, Jesus Christ.