Anger mismanagement

Archdiocese Angers Many by Contesting Abuse Claims, Laurie Goodstein reports in The New York Times. Regarding the record number of sexual abuse claims filed in its bankruptcy, around 550,

"The archdiocese will also ask the judge to bar any claims involving priests who were members of religious orders. Although those priests may have been working in parishes that are part of the archdiocese, the archdiocese contends that they were not technically employees.

"Mr. Topczewski [Jerry Topczewski, Chief of Staff, Archdiocese of Milwaukee] said: “Our parishes are separately incorporated, always have been, and someone who’s a layperson employed by X-Y-Z parish is not an employee of the archdiocese. ...'"

You might recall that in mid-1984 a teacher at Mother of Good Counsel parish wrote to Archbishop Weakland that Fr. Dennis Pecore, a priest of the Society of the Divine Savior religious order assigned there, was sexually abusing boys. Archbishop Weakland's August 13, 1984 reply included that “[A]ny libelous material found in your letter will be scrutinized carefully by our lawyers.” Victims might be excused for wondering why those canonical and legal distinctions would not prevent "our lawyers" from working for a religious order member and a parish when the goal was to suppress a report of sexual abuse of children.

(via SNAP Wisconsin)