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Article Category: 2007 February
Description: "We believe this agreement brings closure to all cases in California..." stated Milwaukee Archbishop Timothy M. Dolan when comm
Article originally prepared on : 28 February 2007
"We believe this agreement brings closure to all cases in California..." stated Milwaukee Archbishop Timothy M. Dolan when commenting on the outcome of 10 abuse cases filed in California against two former diocesan priests, Siegfried Widera and Franklyn Becker.
In 2002 the California Legislature passed a controversial law suspending the statute of limitations on sexual abuse cases committed by clergy for a period of one year. The new law allowed the 10 cases to be filed in California against Widera, now deceased, and Becker, now laicized [defrocked].
The cases resulted in an agreement for the Archdiocese of Milwaukee to pay the 10 victims/survivors $16.65 million dollars. $8.40 million will be paid by insurance, while $8.25 million will be paid directly by the Archdiocese of Milwaukee through liquidation of short- and long-term investments.
Widera is dead, but THIRTY YEARS before his death Siegfried Widera was convicted of sexual perversion. Widera admitted he was guilty of the crime as well as guilty of having similar conduct with other boys, yet the archdiocese did virtually nothing to protect your children from this sexual predator.
Sure, they sent him to a church-employed therapist and transferred him to a different parish, but within a three year period another accusation surfaced.
In 1976, an Elkhorn WI therapist was treating a boy who had been abused by Widera. Instead of encouraging the mother of the youngster to go to the police, the therapist persuaded the boy's mother not to go to the authorities as the therapist was assured Widera would get inpatient treatment.
After the incident, Widera left the ministry and moved to Orange County, California to live with relatives.
While in California personnel from the Milwaukee Archdiocese discussed Widera with his treating psychologist and the psychologist recommended Widera no longer serve in the Milwaukee archdiocese. The psychologist did not rule out Widera working in the Archdiocese of Milwaukee at a later date or working at a different archdiocese.
Widera was granted a return to ministry in the Diocese of Orange and eventually was incardinated in the Orange Diocese where further alleged abuse took place.
By 2002 Widera had 33 felony sex abuse charges filed against him by California authorities, and by 2003 had 11 felony charges issued against him by Wisconsin authorities that were filed in 2002 and 2003 for abuse that had allegedly taken place in the early 70's.
After a warrant was issued for his arrest, Widera went on the run and on May 27, 2003 he was cornered at a hotel in Mexico and jumped over the balcony to his death.
This man had thirty years to abuse your children with the archdiocese doing nothing to protect the youngsters and everything to protect Widera.
On February 5, 2007 Superior Court Judge Peter D. Lichtman of LA ordered the Archdiocese of Milwaukee to release, within 30 days, insurance records and confidential disciplinary files on Widera to the public.
The records have never been made public before due to protections provided to churches by Wisconsin State Statutes.
The Diocese of Orange agreed to victim/survivor settlements of $100 million in December of 2004, including the Widera plaintiffs. The Archdiocese of Milwaukee was not part of those settlements.
Multi-million dollar settlements against dioceses are not limited to Milwaukee and Orange. Some larger settlements include: Covington, Ky. ($85 million); Boston ($85 million); Sacramento ($35 million); and Providence, R.I. ($13.5 million).
These are the known settlements. What about the unknown? How prevalent is sexual abuse in the Roman Catholic Church? How many children are sexually abused by priests every day? How would we ever know? If these cases are paid off and swept under the carpet how would anyone know the magnitude of the problem?
How much have all these cases cost the Catholic Church throughout the years? Would the church save money by allowing their priests to marry? Why is it that all these cases take place in the United States when there are lots of other countries in the world that have Catholic priests. How is it that we never hear anything about these same problems in other countries? Do all sexual predators reside in the U.S.?
Project Safe Childhood (PSC) is a major initiative by the Department of Justice to combat technology-facilitated sexual exploitation crimes against children.
We have four children who attended Catholic schools and churches in Orange County, California, where sexual predators were transferred from one assignment to another, with a total disregard for the safety of children. Never once were we told that sexual predators were placed in positions of trust and authority, placing not only our children, but thousands of other children, at further risk of sex abuse.
Thank you so much for acknowledging what California's legislature has provided to the world for review and evaluation. However, how many other government, law enforcement and religious leaders will take the time to review the facts revealed since California's passage of the 2003 Sex Abuse Law, now available in criminal and civil public court records?
Painful facts and truths are only available because of the courage of clergy sex abuse victims, their families, supporters who believe in justice and California legislators. But, will those responsible for correcting the wrongs that destroyed so many lives take the time to review the horrific truths that cause adults to squirm and deny the heinous sex crimes that destroyed lives of children?
In my opinion, attorneys representing the Catholic Church and other religious institutions have committed legal malpractice for abusing the court system in the U.S. and assisting politically-connected institutions in covering sex crimes committed by employees. Afterall, since when did freedom of religion laws allow for sex abuse crimes against children, without accountability? NEVER.
However, attorneys have collected hundreds of thousands of dollars in attorneys' fees to shield religious institutions from monetary damages in a court of law BUT State Bar associations throughout the U.S. refuse to demand accountability from the attorneys who aided and abetted the sex crimes committed against children.
Sadly, our children and all children in the world today are smarter than we were, all parents, and continue to watch adults, government and law enforcement leaders squirm and fail to demand accountability for the sex abuse crimes that destroyed the lives of children and families for many years.
As advocates for clergy sex abuse victims, their families and employees of religious institutions who have been punished for speaking out to protect a child from sex abuse crimes or any other type of violation of the law, we pray that the blinders will be removed from Catholics and non-Catholics throughout the world, so others will understand the need for legislation placing the protections of children and those who protect them as mandated reporters, at the highest priority.
The truth will be told in California -- but will the truths ever be told any where else? Only time will tell... let's hope that someone, somewhere, will review the criminal and civil court records in California. Maybe then, as a society, we can be assured that history will NEVER repeat itself and the protections of children will be placed at the highest priority.
Debby and Michael Bodkin & Family
Good Morning Debby and family,
Thank you for your comment, which really says it all.
If I were you, I think I'd change a couple words in the second paragraph, change the title to "An Open Letter to California Legislators" and publish.
The more publicity this subject gets, the more likely people are going to pay attention to what's going on with it - the problem is, most people have a very short attention span. When a subject is out of the news, they're pretty much not interested in what's going on.
When I was doing research for the article I was totally shocked at the attitude of the Catholic Church towards this problem. The therapist treating the boy in Wisconsin that had allegedly been sexully abused by Witada called the Church first, and it was members of the clergy that talked her into not contacting the authorities.
Later, Witada was able to get reinstated in California due to a letter written by, I believe he was a Cardinal, and the letter basically stated that although there had been some problems in the past they were sure he would be on his good behavior in the future.
So the abuse continues.
Children deserve better.
They are especially vulnerable in church because we teach them from the time they're knee high to a duck that they have to be extra quiet, and extra good, because they are in the house of the Lord.
Debby, if you do decide to resubmit as an open letter to the California legislators I would like to include on our site http://articles2007.spaces.live.com
Just send as an e-mail to the address in the article.
Thank you.
Pat Johnson
by pjohnson (6 articles, 10 comments) on Sunday, February 18, 2007 at 8:11:55 AM
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