a cold front in Milwaukee

By Diogenes ( articles ) | May 07, 2009

 Milwaukee's hastily-retired Archbishop Rembert Weakland is publishing his memoirs. 

About now it would be nice to see a sentence like this: 

"All proceeds from the sale of the book will be used to help repay the $450,000 that Archbishop Weakland diverted to a young man who had threatened to bring charges against him for sexual abuse."

But no such sentence appears in the official release from the Milwaukee archdiocese.

No matter how carefully you read that public statement, you will detect no evidence that archdiocesan officials are enthusiastic about the book's publication. The communications director of the archdiocese predicts: "Some will be angry about the book." 

The author, meanwhile, is leaving town to take up a new residence in New Jersey. The timing of his departure may be coincidental. He reports that the harsh Milwaukee winters were rough on him. Winter might come early this year.