Judge Kelley Orders Archdiocese of Milwaukee into Mediation

By Peter Isely
SNAP Midwest
July 3, 2012

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After 16 months of spending in excess of 4 million dollars to throw out nearly 90 percent of the 570 victims who filed claims in federal bankruptcy court alleging rape, sexual assault or abuse by Milwaukee clergy, Judge Susan V. Kelley today has finally ordered the archdiocese into mediation. In appointing Judge Randall J. Newsome to conduct mediation, Kelley emphasized that she wants to see “compassion” used when dealing with the issues of Wisconsin law, such as the old statute of limitations on sex crimes, which have prevented many victims from receiving justice.

Judge Newsome will oversee the mediation discussions which are expected to begin on July 20th. At that time a stay of at least 60 days will be placed on all court proceedings to give the parties time to focus on reaching a settlement.

Indeed, no other diocese or religious order that has filed for bankruptcy in the US has contested legitimate victim claims, except the Archdiocese of Milwaukee, an unnecessary, unjust and expensive delay. Instead, current Milwaukee Archbishop Jerome Listecki has repeatedly refused to voluntarily mediate, so today, sadly, it has taken a court order for him to do it.

This kind of legal attack on victims, perhaps the most aggressive in the country, was part of the bankruptcy plan designed by former Milwaukee Archbishop Timothy Dolan, now Cardinal of New York. Dolan’s movement of tens of millions of dollars into off-the-books archdiocesan trusts was the original subject of today’s hearing but was changed by Kelley so that she could order the mediation.

Although today’s hearing was about mediation, it should in no way stop the deposition of Dolan in federal court. Dolan must be made to explain, under oath, his movement of money and abusive priests, including his secret policy, recently uncovered in court documents, of paying off sex offender clergy with a secret “signing bonus” if they would quietly leave the priesthood. Dolan vehemently and publically denied doing so when one such payout was discovered in 2006.

Dolan’s testimony, along with the release of key depositions already taken but still under seal—principally that of former Archbishop Rembert Weakland who discussed how to handle pedophile clergy like the notorious Lawrence Murphy with the current Pope Benedict XVI—are absolutely necessary if the victims and the Catholic community are to truly move on from this terrible and still ongoing crisis.

SNAP, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, is the world’s oldest and largest support group for clergy abuse victims. We’ve been around for 23 years and have more than 10,000 members. Despite the word “priest” in our title, we have members who were molested by religious figures of all denominations, including nuns, rabbis, bishops, and Protestant ministers. Visit us at SNAPnetwork.org and SNAPwisconsin.com.