MILWAUKEE (WI)
National Catholic Reporter
Marie Rohde | Jul. 2, 2013
MILWAUKEE Publicity surrounding the 1993 release of an earlier deposition of then-Archbishop Rembert George Weakland served as the impetus for survivors of sex abuse to unite, a movement that has dogged the Milwaukee archdiocese for 20 years.
Milwaukee lawyer Robert Elliott questioned Weakland under oath as part of a lawsuit brought by victims of Fr. William J. Effinger, a priest with a history of abuse who was eventually convicted and sent to prison, where he died.
At the request of lawyers for the church, Weakland’s sworn statement and others were sealed. Elliott released some of the information in a 1993 brief filed with the court. Using portions of Weakland’s response to questions, Elliott said the archbishop and other church officials were aware of the problems.
After the story appeared in the Milwaukee Journal, Weakland sent letters to parish priests and other leaders in the archdiocese denying the report, which said the archdiocese did not have a policy that required allegations to be reported to civil authorities and that it had no program to educate school and parish personnel of allegations of misconduct. Many priests read his letter at weekend Masses.
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