In 2002, Rembert G. Weakland retired as Archbishop of Milwaukee after it came out that he had to pay $450,000 in 1998 to a man who accused him of date rape. Did Archbishop Weakland know that date rape was a crime? I don't know but I wouldn't be optimistic because he apparently didn't know that child rape was a crime either. Even to this day, he seems to think that saying that he didn't know sexual abuse and assault on children was a crime might somehow be a legitimate excuse for not only not reporting any of it to the police, but also actively working to cover up the incidents.
"We all considered sexual abuse of minors as a moral evil, but had no understanding of its criminal nature," Weakland says in the book, "A Pilgrim in a Pilgrim Church," due out in June.
Weakland said he initially "accepted naively the common view that it was not necessary to worry about the effects on the youngsters: either they would not remember or they would 'grow out of it.' "
Clergy victims reacted angrily to the revelation. "It's beyond belief. He's either lying or he's so self-deceived that he's inventing fanciful stories," said Peter Isely, Midwest director for the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, or SNAP. "These have always been crimes."
Source: Journal-Sentinel
Not everything that is "wrong" in Catholic dogma is also against the law and it's always good when clergy recognize this fact. I find it utterly bizarre and incomprehensible, though, that someone could seriously believe that sexual abuse and assault on children would be a "moral evil" which is not prohibited by law. To say that he didn't know it was a crime means saying that he sincerely thought the law permitted such behavior. Frankly, I don't believe him. I can't even say that I believe that he's convinced himself of that, but I certainly don't believe that he really thought at the time that it was legal to sexually abuse little kids.
Has that guy been watching old episodes of Saturday Night Live??
‘Let’s say you’re on trial for armed robbery. You say to the judge, “I forgot armed robbery was illegal.”‘ -Steve Martin 1978.
http://snltranscripts.jt.org/77/77imono.phtml
He’s either a liar or lives in an ivory tower never watching television or reading newspapers.In the past when so much of the abuse of children was going on the Church seemed to think it was answerable only to God not to civil authorities.
Since I live on Earth I’m well aware of the Catholic Priest abuse scandal. However, like many, many others, I did not have a clue as to any of the actual details.
Unfortunately, now I do. Some time ago I read a book, Betrayal, by the Investigative Staff of the Boston Globe, who had a lot to do with bringing this whole thing to light in the 1990’s, but the book was not published until 2002.
I was stunned at the details. I was equally stunned at my ignorance. That lead me to read another, and another and more and more. Then, a few weeks ago the story came out of Ireland about the Catholic run reformatories. Nine years in the making, 2600 pages long, describing it as a “damning report on decades of rapes, beatings and humiliation at the hands of the Catholic run reform schools.
Needless to say, I’ve learned a lot since reading that first book, and I haven’t stopped being horrified.
I’m sick of hearing “abusive priests”. How about rapists and pedophiles, or better yet, serial rapists and serial pedophiles and sadists and felons. These are the words that we use for all the other people that are in our JAILS.
I’ve written one essay on it, which I’ve posted and am sending out, and anyone is more than welcome to.
This issue has nothing to do with belief.
WHY is this organization still in business????
Go learn, a lot, before you answer that question.