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The February bankruptcy of Archdiocese of Milwaukee was something I have written about before. What wasn't found out until the filing was the magnitude of the abused children involved. The report disclosed at least 8,000 instances of child sexual abuse and 100 alleged offenders – 75 of them priests – who have not previously been named by the archdiocese.

The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, which has been covering the ongoing story reported :

Peter Isely of the Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests speculated that some are likely members of religious orders, such as Capuchins or Franciscans. Order officials do not typically make public the names of their accused members, and the archdiocese claims it is not responsible for them, though they have historically helped to staff its parishes and schools.

"This is a public safety crisis, a child safety crisis that needs to be investigated," Isely said at a news conference on the federal courthouse steps, surrounded by fellow survivors and reporters.

"We need to know who they are and where they are. How can there be 8,000 crimes committed by over 100 offenders and there be no accountability?" he said.

Hopefully, just the sheer numbers will lead to many more questions being asked. It is clear that with every revelation of previously undisclosed names, there are usually many more abuse survivors who are revealed.

Abuse of children and the continued silence by the offenders needs to be prevented. If you suffered, saw, or suspected such events, it is important to know that there is help out there.

7 Comments

  1. Gravatar for JeannieGuzman
    JeannieGuzman

    David asks, "How can there be 8,000 crimes committed by over 100 offenders and there be no accountability?" he said." David, it's the good, old Dark Ages all over again. Remember the good, old days when the Church could condemn people to unspeakably barbaric torture and to the flames of the Inquisition and never be accountable? The Church has always acted like a law unto Herself, or above the law. It won't be until the Roman Catholic Church is held accountable at the Hague for Her international criminal record against humanity in the Priest Pedophilia Scandal, that Survivors will ever see any change, forcing the Church to be accountable!

  2. Gravatar for JuneAnnette
    JuneAnnette

    Unspeakable crimes against children brought to light in our day by the providence and mercy of God, were committed by Roman Catholic priests under the guise of religion and pretext of piety. Their depraved and lewd acts were concealed by unscrupulous men wrapped in mantles of virtue and holiness, fortified by an impregnable wall of silence and buried in an institution shrouded in secrecy and darkness.

    The oaths of secrecy that gave rise to the SCANDAL required under RC Canon law, taken by her priests, bishops and cardinals to relegate these matters to internal church affairs are still in force, and so the cover up continues!

    In the interests of the Victims of RC Clergy Abuse which the RC "hierarchy" has time and time again assured us is their first priority, lawyers must have unfettered access to a legal discovery of information contained in the 'child abuse files', evidence that has long been hidden under lock and key and relegated to their “secret archives”.

    The covert RC “church” must be compelled by any and all legal means to come clean!

    In Solidarity with the Victims of Roman Catholic Clergy Abuse & those who advocate for them,

    JuneAnnette

  3. Gravatar for Amos
    Amos

    Jennie,

    I would prefer you use the terminology "Churchmen, their enablers and accomplices" rather than "Church." There are many in the Church, who knew nothing of this debacle, nor would ever consent to it. They  should not be made a party to it by enrolling them under the pejorative nomenclature "Church" as used in your post.

  4. Gravatar for JeannieGuzman
    JeannieGuzman

    Amos: I'm sorry if I offend you by using the terminology "Church!" The "Church" includes those, who sit in the pews, Sunday after Sunday and ignore anything and everything, which upsets their 45 minute Sunday Ritual. I refer to the majority of these people as "Pew Potatoes!" If they actually gave a damn about the welfare of children, they would have raised hell when priests in their Archdiocese raped and molested children and their sainted bishops, archbishops and cardinal sheltered the molesters and transferred them from parish to parish! In my parish, there were 3 waves of Pedophile Priests! Nothing happened! Parishioners didn't want to talk about it and would walk away when the topic was brought up! Now, they are paying the price, when their schools are closing and many parishes, because the Archdiocese can't afford to keep them open! No one asks, "WHY!" Or, they'll tell you that the Survivors are to blame! Sorry, I stepped on your toes. I'm tired of having mine stepped on as well!

  5. Gravatar for JeannieGuzman
    JeannieGuzman

    JuneAnnette: Your words always inspire me to stay in the fight! I believe that the Clerical Culture from the Vatican on down is responsible for shielding Pedophile Priests from the law and the consequences of their criminal actions. I am very heartened by the trial in Philly of Monsignor Lynn. If this Landmark trial is successful it will start an avalanche of similar trials in every Archdiocese across the US and hopefully Canada! Instead of lowly Monsignors, we will see bishops, archbishops and cardinals on the witness stand and hopefully exchanging their costly vestments for little, orange, prison jumpsuits! JuneAnnette: Please continue your candid posts! Jeannie

  6. Gravatar for JohnB
    JohnB

    As a survivor of sexual molestation by nuns age 4-8 and violent rape by a catholic priest age 8 in a small country parish where each and every parishioner was made aware of my abuse and the abuse of others and they too turned away and did not want to speak about it, other beat us, tormented, ostracized, shunned, humiliated, discriminated and made sure we were not treated as equally and fairly as others. These were the actions of those people at that time; these are the actions today of people like Amos who still attempt to use every ploy and diversion they can in their attempt to exonerate themselves and others for their inactivity or their support of the suppression of child victims of sexual abuse. They are the people who made up the church then and they are the people who make up the church today. They are despicable child abuse supporting scum who need a morality and a reality check. The entire church and its teaching and thinking are the cause and the effect.

  7. Mike Bryant

    Wow a number of comments with testaments to the need to make a change and really deal with zero tolerance. Thank you each for reading and commenting, it is a fight that needs to be continued.

    JohnB thank you for your courage and being a survivor who will help others.

    Amos I understand your issue, but as long as the Church includes more of those that hide the truth than those that fight to bring out the truth, it will be their choice to define the Church.

    Thank you all for the information.

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