MILWAUKEE (WI)/ ST. PAUL (MN)
Star Tribune
[the documents – Jeff Anderson & Associates]
[the documents – Milwaukee archdiocese]
Article by: ROSE FRENCH , Star Tribune Updated: July 1, 2013
The Archdiocese of Milwaukee released 6,000 pages of documents related to clergy sex abuse on Monday, including the personnel files of more than three dozen priests and the depositions of church leaders such as New York Cardinal Timothy Dolan, former Milwaukee archbishop.
The documents were made public as part of a deal reached in federal bankruptcy court between the archdiocese and the hundreds of victims suing it for fraud — a majority of whom are represented by prominent St. Paul attorney Jeff Anderson.
During a news conference held at Anderson’s law offices Monday, he stood in front of the reams of church documents and accused bishops and Vatican leaders of refusing to respond quickly enough in addressing reported abuse. Victims accuse the archdiocese of transferring problem priests to new churches without warning parishioners and covering up priests’ crimes for decades.
“We see a sense of cowardice among the clerics at the top that contrasts with the courage of the [abuse] survivors who … disclosed the secret … and demanded exposure and closure,” Anderson said. “These survivors chose to stand up against them.”
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