Judge blocks release of prelates' testimony on sex-abuse policies in Milwaukee archdiocese

CWN - April 06, 2012

A federal bankruptcy court judge has refused to release the sealed depositions of two retired prelates who testified about the handling of sex-abuse complaints in the Milwaukee archdiocese.

Representatives of sex-abuse victims had sought the release of the depositions by Archbishop Rembert Weakland and Bishop Richard Sklba, saying that the testimony had a bearing on their claims that the archdiocese was hiding financial assets. Victims’ representatives were particularly anxious for release of the deposition by Bishop Sklba; they had charged that the Milwaukee archdiocese filed for bankruptcy in order to block a demand for the bishop’s public testimony in a lawsuit.

But Judge Susan Kelley said that the depositions had served the purposes of the bankruptcy court. Although she described the testimony as “scandalous,” she said that she would not release it because the depositions would reveal the identity of sex-abuse victims who preferred to remain anonymous.

Additional sources for this story
Some links will take you to other sites, in a new window.

An appeal from our founder, Dr. Jeffrey Mirus:

Dear reader: If you found the information on this page helpful in your pursuit of a better Catholic life, please support our work with a donation. Your donation will help us reach five million Truth-seeking readers worldwide this year. Thank you!

Easter Campaign:
Progress toward our Spring 2013 goal ($34,555 to go):
$80,000.00 $45,444.82
43% 57%
Sound Off! CatholicCulture.org supporters weigh in.

All comments are moderated. To lighten our editing burden, only current donors are allowed to Sound Off. If you are a donor, log in to see the comment form; otherwise please support our work, and Sound Off!

There are no comments yet for this item.

Catholic World News Email Newsletter
Donate to Support this Site: Your contribution will be put to good work.
Tour the CatholicCulture.org Site
Shop Amazon to Raise Money for Catholic Culture

Recent Catholic Commentary

Learning from the sick, and from the death of a child 19 hours ago
The case for change in Irish abortion law: based on a framework of falsehood 23 hours ago
The Smell of the Sheep May 16
Too many missing funds: Catholic institutions need tighter financial controls May 16
What capitalists should learn from the Pope's critique May 16

Top Catholic News

Most Important Stories of the Last 30 Days
Pope strongly supports call for reform in religious life CWN - May 8