Waukesha Priest Accused of Sex Abuse

By Lacey Crisp
WTMJ
June 10, 2012

http://www.todaystmj4.com/news/local/158382395.html

ST. FRANCIS - A Waukesha Catholic priest is now on leave after a sexual abuse allegation. The allegation dates back 30 years.

Parishioners are stunned by the news. However, this is not the first time Father John Schreiter has been accused of sexual abuse.

The Catholic Diocese says he is now on leave, just one week before he was set to retire.

"People looked upset. I saw people crying. People looked shocked," one parishioner told us.

St. John Neumann Catholic Church parishioners were too upset to show their faces on camera. They say they are in shock that their priest, Father John Schreiter, is now under investigation for sexual abuse.

"I think everyone was real quiet. I think we were all in shock."

According to the diocese, the allegation, "dates back thirty years ago, and was brought to light during the bankruptcy hearings."

Archbishop Jerome Listecki wrote to parishioners that, "[the] district attorney has declined to prosecute and we are, therefore, initiating our own process."

"I think they should have a zero tolerance policy, and just say we don't support this in our church, and put the person on leave because this is not tolerable."

But this is not the first time Schreiter has been under investigation. TODAY'S TMJ4 sat down exclusively with Schreiter in 2004 after the Diocese cleared him of any wrong doing in the earlier case.

At the time he told us, "it feels absolutely fantastic, it's a huge relief."

SNAP, the Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests is calling for another investigation into the initial allegations, and to go back to Father Schreiter's past churches.

"This is the second time around. The Archbishop needs to go to those parishes and minister to those people and beg people to come forward with information," SNAP's Peter Isley said.

Father Schreiter was supposed to retire next week. He denies the allegations.