The sexual harassment scandal in the Archdiocese of Milwaukee is a series of cases of sexual harassment taking place in Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA.
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Lawrence Murphy Case
Lawrence Murphy is a pastor teaching at the former St. John for the deaf in the suburbs of Milwaukee, St. Francis from 1950 to 1974. He is believed to have molested up to 200 deaf boys before the mid-1970s. Local law enforcement agencies, including the Milwaukee Police Department, St. Francis, and the Milwaukee District Attorney, was informed of the abuse in 1974 by an adult graduate of St. John for the hearing impaired, but expressed doubts about the credibility of allegations and restrictive laws, and did nothing.
Then the Archbishop of Milwaukee William Edward Cousins ​​gave Murphy a leave of absence in 1974 and allowed him to move to his mother's home in Boulder Junction, Wisconsin, which is in the bishop's diocese. The cousin did not tell the Bishop of Superior the reason why Murphy did not live in Milwaukee.
In 1977, Rembert Weakland replaced Cousins ​​as Archbishop of Milwaukee. Weakland stated in a statement that he was aware of Murphy's charges in 1977, and forbade Murphy to say a Mass in Milwaukee, but instead did nothing, and gave no information about Murphy to the Superior Diocese where Murphy lived. Weakland offered to move Murphy to the Diocese of Superior, but the offer was not accepted, and Murphy eventually retired as pastor of the Milwaukee Archdiocese in January 1993. In December 1993, Weakland ordered Murphy to be evaluated by a psychotherapist. During the interview, Murphy confessed to molesting boys at least until 1974, including during the sacrament of penance, which was a violation under canon law. In July 1996, Weakland told the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith and asked how to proceed. Although the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith at that time has no jurisdiction over most incidents involving sexual abuse by priests, it does have authority over cases involving invitations by priests during the sacrament of penance. Weakland states that "[I] got the answer back by saying yes we can open the case", and the process against Murphy began in October 1996. Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone instructed the Wisconsin bishops to hold a canonical trial, which could result in various punishments, including laicization. An official church trial began but was later canceled because Archbishop Weakland decided that pastoral solutions were more appropriate because Murphy was a parent and in poor health. Murphy died a few months after he asked the Vatican to stop the canonical tribunal against him because of his poor health.
The Vatican has responded to concerns by noting that they have not been informed of the allegations until 20 years after they were first raised; that Murphy died within two years after the Vatican's notice of the allegations; that police investigations on charges at the time did not result in cases being heard; and that nothing in the actions of the Vatican will prevent civil cases from continuing.
In March 2010, there were four outstanding lawsuits against the Archdiocese of Milwaukee in this case.
Maps Sexual abuse scandal in Catholic archdiocese of Milwaukee
2003 report on sexual harassment
Following public testimony by victims before a joint session of the Wisconsin State Senate and Judicial Justice Committee, a report on child sexual abuse by a priest in the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Milwaukee was published in September 2003. The report revealed that allegations of sexual violence minors were made against 58 ordained men, who were under the direct supervision of the Archbishop of Milwaukee. In response, Archbishop Timothy Dolan held meetings with victims, mental health professionals, law enforcement officers, and clergymen. He opposes laws that would extend or eliminate restrictive laws on the filing of pastor sexual abuse cases.
By early 2009, the Milwaukee Archdiocese had spent about $ 26.5 million in attorney and settlement fees for claims of sexual harassment. Nevertheless, Dolan helped the Archdiocese avoid bankruptcy resulting from lawsuits, and closed the $ 3 million budget deficit in 2008. He later called the sexual assault scandal the most challenging issue of his term in Milwaukee, saying "Is that haunting me? And I'm not afraid to admit it. "
2011 bankruptcy filing
On January 4, 2011, the Archdiocese of Milwaukee announced it would file for bankruptcy. The Church faces more than 23 lawsuits, and efforts to reach mediated settlements with victims failed in December 2010. The announcement came two days before the bishop was scheduled to be overthrown, and after the church refused to release names or personnel records of the accused priests. Lawyers for plaintiffs in the harassment act argued that filing for bankruptcy was an attempt to delay reversing church records in cases.
Milwaukee archdiocese has paid more than $ 29 million to complete 200 cases over the past 20 years. The archdiocese said that these additional cases would incur legal costs not covered by the diocese. The archdiocese has assets of approximately $ 98.4 million, but the $ 90 million already allocated. A lawyer for several victims stated that there were more than 8,000 abuse cases by more than 100 staff.
See also
- Child abuse
- Child sexual abuse
- Religious harassment
- Sexual violations
- Spiritual abuse
- Mea Maxima Culpa: Silence in the House of God
References
External links
- Archdiocese of Milwaukee
- Sexual Abuse Prevention & amp; Response Service
- Sexual Harassment Information
- Keeping the Family of God
Source of the article : Wikipedia
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