Archdiocese of Dubuque Pays $5.2 Million to Priests' Victims
By Will Cushman
A law firm representing sexual abuse victims of priests in the Archdiocese of Dubuque and the Archdiocese itself revealed last Wednesday that the Archdiocese paid $5.2 million to 26 victims in a recent settlement. Chad Swanson, of Dutton, Braun, Staack and Hellman law firm in Waterloo, said in a press release that the claims came from 22 men and four women who were victims of sexual abuse at the hands of 10 Archdiocese priests from the 1940-70s. In addition to the monetary payments, the Archdiocese agreed to pay for up to 12 counseling sessions for each of the victims. “The settlement is significant and the amount of money included in the settlement may appear substantial, but on a per person basis, it will never be sufficient to compensate these claimants for all of the years of living with the shame, embarrassment and stigma of the abuse,” Swanson said in a press release. “The injuries to this group of survivors cannot be overstated. The settlement does offer the opportunity for each survivor to continue or start their personal healing process.” In its own release, the Archdiocese offered a public apology to the victims. “Archbishop Michael Jackels and Archbishop Emeritus Jerome Hanus apologize to the victims and their families,” the release says. “It is their hope that this settlement will be supportive of them. Priests who abused are a disgrace to the vocation and a scandal to the faithful.” The 10 priests named in the recent settlement case are John T. Reed, Joseph I. Patnode, Patrick W. McElliott, Robert V. Swift, William T. Schwartz, Robert J. Reiss, Allen M. Schmitt, Louis W. Wunder, Louis E. Wendling and Peter Graff. All are dead, except Schwartz and Schmitt. Schwartz was dismissed from the priesthood in 2005. Schmitt is still a priest who works at the Archdiocese’s pastoral center in Dubuque under supervision, according to an Archdiocese spokesperson. Reiss served at Holy Trinity in Luxemburg from 1960-67 and Immaculate Conception in North Buena Vista from 1985-90; McElliott served at St. Patrick in Colesburg from 1963-66; and Graff served at SS. Peter and Paul in Petersburg from 1941-46. The settlement is the fourth such large-group global settlement of sexual abuse claims by the Archdiocese of Dubuque. With 26 claims, it is also the largest. The Archdiocese has now settled 83 claims of clergy sexual abuse since 2006. Steve Theisen, Iowa director of the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (SNAP), applauded the survivors. “Like all who have suffered clergy sex crimes and cover-ups, (the survivors) endured and continue to endure the life-long consequences from trusting someone in a collar or a habit,” Theisen said in a release. “They have found the strength to come forward, expose predators and seek justice.” In an email to the Commercial, Theisen also expressed skepticism that recent church policies designed to protect children from sex abuse will prove effective without outside enforcement. “America’s bishops adopted a supposedly binding abuse policy 11 years ago,” Theisen said, referring to the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops’ (USCCB) passage of the Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People in 2002. “The policies are like speed limits with no cops. There’s no enforcement.” The USCCB does require yearly audits to determine dioceses’ compliance with Protection of Children and Young People rules. Rules include requiring “safe environment” training to religious education students, volunteer teachers and other diocese employees and the formation and regular meeting of abuse claim review boards. In a May report, the USCCB recommended extending audits to individual parishes in an effort to provide more local oversight. The Archdiocese maintained its commitment to the 2002 charter following last week’s announcement, saying many priests have taken it up themselves to contact and support local sex abuse victims of other priests in addition to complying with new training and reporting rules. “The Archdiocese of Dubuque continues to commit itself to the protection of children, striving always to make the way safe for them,” it said. Theisen argued, however, that real institutional change would not come without more church cooperation with secular law enforcement. “It’s more productive, we believe, to voice concerns to secular officials,” Theisen said. “We urge Catholics to prod lawmakers to reform the archaic, arbitrary, predator-friendly statutes of limitations and strengthen laws that enable victims and prosecutors to go after those who conceal child sex crimes — not just those who commit child sex crimes.” Contact: will.cushman@wcinet.com
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