Weakland is a key witness in a series of civil fraud cases brought against the Milwaukee Archdiocese by victims of alleged clergy sex abuse. In a deposition released in November, he admitted that he transferred priests with a history of sexual misconduct back into churches without alerting parishioners and did not report alleged abuses to police.
See Deposition of Archbishop Emeritus Rembert G. Weakland, O.S.B. (complete transcript).
He dismissed that testimony while speaking with the AP, saying that "any deposition is just a part of a whole picture and that picture has not been painted yet."
By contrast, "the Archdiocese of Milwaukee maintains that the complete picture of what occurred ... will never be known." See Despite deposition, whole abuse story won't be known. Elaborating on civil procedure, he continued,
"And anybody can take out of that any sentence they want."
He's right about how his deposition testimony can be used. He implies, though, that our Archdiocese will present a defense case, including his testimony, that will persuade a jury in its favor in these fraud trials.
I say that won't happen, though our Archdiocese might prevail in these cases on legal grounds, or settle, or file for bankruptcy. I'd be willing to bet Archbishop Weakland bagels and lox after Sunday Mass at St. Patrick's Cathedral on it. That's giving odds, since Manhattan's less than an hour drive from his new home in Morristown, New Jersey.
See Archbishop Weakland Memoirs to be Released
I noticed that statement, too--that 'the picture hasn't been painted...'
ReplyDeleteAnd I, too, snorted in derision.