Archdiocese of Milwaukee confirms payments to laicize priests


Milwaukee Journal Sentinel:
The Archdiocese of Milwaukee confirmed Wednesday that it paid suspected pedophile priests to leave the ministry, after a document surfaced in its bankruptcy discussing a 2003 proposal to pay $20,000 to "unassignable priests" who accept laicization.
The Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests characterized the payments as a payoff and bonuses to priests who molested children. And it called on the archdiocese to release all records involving the payments and its handling of clergy sex abuse cases.
Archdiocese spokeswoman Julie Wolf said the payments were intended to speed up the laicization process, in response to criticism by SNAP and others who called for offender priests to be defrocked. She disputed the characterization as a payoff, saying the money was meant to help the men transition back into lay life.

1 comment:

Kat said...

Damned if you do, damned if you don't. Even parolees usually get gate money, and they've got a transitional program ready to ease them back into society. It's called the whole "mercy" thing. Sheesh.