Archbishop Dolan's e-mail concerning cases in California

July 6, 2006

Dear Friends United in Love and Service of Jesus and His Church:

During my time here, I have frequently spoken and written about the clergy sexual abuse scandal and its impact on the victims/survivors and the entire Church of southeastern Wisconsin. I’ve promised to keep you posted as this most painful story continues to unfold. Today I want to give you an update on the upcoming serious legal challenges we are facing in California.

As you may recall from my past communications, the Archdiocese of Milwaukee is the defendant in lawsuits filed in Orange County, California, involving the sexual abuse of minors by Siegfried Widera, a priest who was convicted of child molestation here before he left for California. The lawsuit alleges that our archdiocese bears some responsibility for the subsequent abuses he committed in California. Widera fell to his death in 2003.

The trial date for the first of these cases has been set for November 6. Between now and then, depositions will be taken and other pre-trial activity will occur. During this period, we hope to work with the California victims/survivors to reach a fair and just settlement that will help them find a sense of resolution. As in all abuse cases, our foremost goal is to try to give victims/survivors the support they need to recover.

Because of the high-profile nature of this case and the news media coverage it is likely to spark, I wanted to make you aware of it before you heard it somewhere else. I also want to point you toward additional background information that is available on our web site, www.archmil.org, designed to provide regularly updated information on the California situation for those who wish to follow the case. The new section includes news stories and related information.

I also want to alert you to additional background information that is on the way to all parishioners in the archdiocese. This week’s (July 6) edition of your archdiocesan newspaper, the Catholic Herald, is being mailed to all registered parish members in southeastern Wisconsin to share information on this matter.

Over the next few months we will face major decisions that will affect our archdiocese for years to come, and I want to be up front with you about the pastoral, financial and legal challenges we face.

The Catholic Herald’s coverage will include:

- An informational story about the lawsuits,
- A related question and answer article,
- Recaps of archdiocesan policies regarding reporting clergy sexual abuse and resources and encouragement for those wishing to make a report,
- Information about the steps the archdiocese has taken these past four years to assist victims/survivors,
- What policies and procedures the archdiocese has in place to prevent future abuse from occurring.

The upcoming coverage in the Catholic Herald and on our web site reflect my promise to communicate in a timely, honest and open manner on this sorrowful topic. As a Church, we have learned the hard way that the best thing we can do for both victims/survivors and the Church overall is to seek truth, share it openly, and trust in the guidance of the Holy Spirit.

The outcome of the California proceedings will remain unknown for months. All I know for sure right now is that we want to continue to help those who were hurt. The horror of clergy sexual abuse of minors and, perhaps even more, the Church’s failure to deal decisively with it long ago, will always be an ugly stain on our history. To all victims/survivors, we renew our apology and our sincere, substantive desire to support their personal recovery. To them and to all, we commit ourselves to an ongoing, vigorous effort to protect those who place their trust in us. To our faithful priests and people, I express my sorrow that you have to go through all this again, and thank you for your resilience and support. We know much has been accomplished during these past four years, but we also know there is much more we can do.

Faithfully in Christ,

Archbishop Timothy M. Dolan

Update The local chapter of SNAP {Survivors Networks of those Abused by Priests) sends this background.