Milwaukee Archdiocese Confirms It Paid Pedophile Priests to Leave Church

TMJ4
May 30, 2012

http://www.todaystmj4.com/news/local/155634795.html


[with video]

MILWAUKEE - The Catholic Archdiocese of Milwaukee confirmed Wednesday that it paid suspected pedophile priests to leave the church.

"In 2002, the Church affirmed that priest offenders should no longer be functioning as priests in any capacity and having someone seek laicization voluntarily is faster and less expensive and it made sense to try and move these men out of the priesthood as quickly as possible," Archdiocese spokeswoman Julie Wolf said in an email.

The Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests (SNAP) said Tuesday that it had proof that former Milwaukee Archbishop Timothy Dolan took part in a 2003 finance council meeting where a plan to pay pedophile priests and child molesters $20,000 each to quietly leave was discussed.

Dolan left the Milwaukee Archdiocese in 2009 and is now the Cardinal of New York.

Auxiliary Bishop Richard Sklba allegedly was also involved in that meeting.

SNAP claims that meeting minutes show Dolan began a series of financial maneuvers to place more than $100 million into newly-invented trusts.

SNAP is calling on Archbishop Jerome Listecki to make full financial disclosure and release of payment records.