Milw. Archdiocese To Release Child Abuse Documentation; Survivors Want More

Clergy abuse victims in Milwaukee say they want more documents from the Catholic Church than the church is promising to release.

As part of the Catholic Church’s two-year-old bankruptcy case in Milwaukee, Archbishop Jerome Listecki says that on July 1, he will release thousands of pages of documents regarding clergy sex abuse

But the Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests (SNAP) says it also wants information about abuse committed by religious order clerics, deacons and Catholic school employees. SNAP Midwest Director Peter Isely says those other cases may represent at least half of all church-related molestations.

“And so when you talk about half a glass, that may be okay with some things, but it’s not acceptable when it comes to child molesters. The archbishop knows right now that there are 10 child molesters in this neighborhood. Why would he only tell you about five of them?”

But Milwaukee archdiocese spokesman Jerry Topczewski says religious orders, parishes and schools are not part of the bankruptcy case; plus, he says religious orders are autonomous.

“They’re independent. The religious order is accountable to the holy father, the archbishop doesn’t have authority over religious order priests.”

Abuse victims say the religious order issue will be fought out in bankruptcy court. SNAP also wants more information about dozens of other cases involving priests that have come up during the bankruptcy deliberations. The archdiocese says the court has sealed those claims, but that no priest with a substantiated allegation of sexual abuse of a minor is serving in public ministry.