Wi- Wisconsin Abuse Victims Push to Open Files

By David Clohessy
SNAP
October 16, 2012

http://www.snapnetwork.org/wi_wisconsin_abuse_victims_push_to_open_files

Hundreds of clergy sex abuse victims are vowing to push for the disclosure of thousands of pages of secret Catholic Church documents - some of which likely involve then-Archbishop Timothy Dolan, who now heads the New York Archdiocese - in the wake of failed settlement talks in Milwaukee.

The victims say they will also look closely at millions of dollars which were transferred off the church’s books into trusts - again, largely on Dolan's watch.

"We really have no choice now but to do everything we can to expose the complicity of several top church officials," said John Pilmaier SNAP Wisconsin Director. "The Catholic hierarchy sought bankruptcy protection to keep its secrets secret. But we have a duty to shine the light of truth on the full cover up; by Dolan, Weakland, Sklba and others. The Milwaukee archdiocese has already spent $7.2 million to keep their sex abuse files hidden from Catholics and the community”. Pilmaier adds “with the failed mediation the archdiocese has signaled to victims that they plan to spend whatever it takes to keep the clergy sex abuse cover-up firmly in place”.

Court documents from the Milwaukee bankruptcy case have already revealed that Cardinal Dolan, then Archbishop of Milwaukee, secretly paid sexually abusing priests $20,000 as an incentive for them to voluntarily leave the priesthood.

Victims and Catholics have a right to know what else is hidden in the Archdiocese of Milwaukee’s secret church files, including now Cardinal Dolan’s role in the decades long Milwaukee sex abuse cover-up.