MKEJSA Waukesha priest has been put on administrative leave just two weeks before he was scheduled to retire because allegations surfaced that he sexually abused a minor three decades ago, Milwaukee Archdiocese officials announced over the weekend.
Father John Schreiter was scheduled to retire June 24 from his position as a pastor at St. John Neumann Parish in Waukesha until the allegations surfaced last week as part of the archdiocese's Chapter 11 bankruptcy filing, spokeswoman Julie Wolf said Sunday.
Vicar General Bill Kohler announced the accusations Sunday morning during Mass at St. John Neumann. In a recording provided to the Journal Sentinel by a parishioner[.....okay?], he called the allegations "a shock" and "very painful business."
Like this was a big secret or something? In the article, SNAP goes onto say basically that the Milwaukee Archdiocese is still protecting pedophile priests.
Don't forget what SNAP would like to do to every church in Milwaukee
Mr. Berres notices some definite... inconsistency on the archdiocese's part.
3 comments:
Matt,
As a victim of clergy rape in the Archdiocese of Milwaukee, and someone who believes in the work SNAP is doing I would like to bring to your attention a few points. You imply in your post that it is not "okay" for a parishioner to tape record what a priest, who happens to be the Vicar General of the Archdiocese is stating to the people of the church. I realize that you are in LaCrosse and may be removed from events here in Milwaukee, but this is what it has come to for many Catholics in this area. Catholics want desperately to be told the truth about the decades of child rape that went on in the Milwaukee church and to be told what the bishops knew and what they did about it. It has come to this...parishioners are so tired of the lies and deceptions from archdiocesan officials that they will now tape record what is said in their parish and report it to the media. The diocese has refused to disclose the truth about what took place here and parishioners are left with no choice. You chose to omit the Vicar General's rather vicious attack on victims of child rape who have publically raised questions about how their church has handled sexual assault reports. Thank you for linking readers to Terrence Berres comments.
In the MJS article Mr. Isely of SNAP clearly states that he does not know if the reports are true, but believes that they need to be investigated.
I would encourage you, if you have not done so already, to speak to a member of SNAP, or a victim of clergy sexual assault. We were, and many are, still Catholic (why I read your blog), please don't forget that many of us came from the most loyal and devoted Catholic families in Wisconsin and we simply ask that the Church which we held dear follow the Gospel values of truth and justice. Bankruptcy proceedings here have revealed that victims and their families were and are being lied to about what the diocese knew concerning those who raped them and what their church leaders did about it. If you have not been to the website bishopaccountability.org I would encourage you to take a look at the actual docments concerning clergy sexual assault in Wisconsin, and the United States.
It looks like I was confused, I thought a published letter was being read verbatim(that's what was done in La Crosse), not that he was speaking off the cuff. I have no problem with it being recorded, like I said, I thought that what was said was already public, hence the recording was not necessary.
I do feel I understand the ongoing ineptitude of the dioceses in this state in handling these cases. I'm reading "The Faithful Departed: The Collapse of Boston's Catholic Culture" and the fact that curia seems to be in a constant state of denial. Ignoring substantiated complains of lay faithful to the archdiocese over the past 40 years or so have never been apologized for. I said in a previous post, this unspoken code of bishops not calling out the ineptitude of their predecessors is a great injustice to victims and all lay faithful. Generic apologies are ineffectual.
As to SNAP, I have a hard time supporting a group which is looking into how to extract parish funds. I am totally in favor of unsealing the depositions of the chancery folks, but I think I speak for most Catholics that it seems that SNAP is motivated to actually end Catholicism in Milwaukee(and elsewhere), not just seeking justice.
I would love to see SNAP come out and state that they are not looking at shutting down every parish in the archdiocese(but in Milwaukee the Sentinel reported they were investigating that possibility). Also I would like to see criminal prosecutions come out of the hearings, not just civil suits. The civil suits are punishing the pewsitters who are trying to give money to schools and heating parishes. I'm not against compensation for victims like yourself(and certainly that is not the only motive) but if SNAP had their way, wouldn't they just take every parish for what it's worth and leave us all out on the curb?
Matt,
Thanks for posting and responding to my comment. I have been meaning to read "The Faithful Departed". I would also recommend the book "Sex, Lies, and Secret Codes" which documents the church's response to child sexual abuse going back to the 4th century. I know many members of SNAP, they are victims, parents, parents of children who committed suicide, their friends and supporters. I have never heard anyone say they wished to end Catholicism in Milwaukee or anywhere else. For many reasons children who are sexually assaulted are not able to come forward to report the crime perpetrated on them until well into adulthood, often the criminal statute of limitations has run out. Often bishops covered up crimes of priests which could have been prosecuted. Victims of child sexual abuse, not just clergy abuse victims, believe that they should have access to the court systems just like any other citizen who is the victim of a crime. Thanks for listening.
Post a Comment