In the waves of Roman Catholic sex scandals over recent years, a dozen bishops worldwide have been publicly accused of misconduct – some with youths and some with adults, sometimes fairly, sometimes falsely and sometimes inconclusively.
The latest claim, that Milwaukee Archbishop Rembert Weakland assaulted an adult man about 20 years ago, hits a church already shaken by accumulating child-abuse cases. The case stands out, however, due to the $450 000 privately paid to the accuser and the prelate’s stature.
Weakland (75) was the worldwide leader of the Benedictine order for a decade, then with his move from Rome to Milwaukee in the 1970s became the leading liberal in the American hierarchy. Catholic commentators on both ends of the ideological spectrum were upset on Thursday over the claims made by alleged victim Paul J Marcoux. Weakland denied he has molested anyone, but acknowledged reaching a settlement with Marcoux.
Margaret O’Brien Steinfels of Commonweal magazine, a longtime admirer of the archbishop, expressed sadness that on the eve of his retirement an old encounter, ”should be publicised so as to destroy the reputation of a great churchman.”
Surprisingly similar reaction came from William Donohue of the conservative Catholic League for Religious and Civil Rights.
Violations of celibacy are wrong, he said, but ”it needs to be asked what social good is served when current disclosures of past indiscretions are made public.”
He urged ”an ethical statute of limitations” to halt rumours, ”voyeurism” and ”sexual McCarthyism.”
Still, the Weakland claim comes just a day after Bishop J. Kendrick Williams of Lexington, Kentucky, temporarily stepped aside from pastoral duties pending church investigation of an accusation he molested an altar boy 21 years ago – which Williams has denied.
And, over the years, Catholic leaders have generally become less immune to claims of abuse. The other accused bishops include: Joseph A. Ferrario, of Honolulu, the first US bishop accused of abusing a minor. The male accuser maintained anonymity at a 1989 press conference, then went public and filed a lawsuit that was dismissed as too late. Ferrario continually denied the charge and retired early in 1993.
Eugene A. Marino, of Atlanta, in 1990 became the first US archbishop to resign in a sex scandal, after admitting a relationship with a woman parishioner in which the two secretly exchanged wedding vows. He died in 2000.
Robert F. Sanchez of Santa Fe, New Mexico, was accused in 1993 by three women who said he was sexually involved with them when they were teen-agers. Sanchez admitted numerous relationships with adult women and quickly resigned.
The late Joseph L. Bernardin, archbishop of Chicago, was the first US cardinal charged with abusing a minor. However, after sensational publicity the alleged victim recanted his claim in 1994.
A second cardinal, Austria’s primate Hans Hermann Groer, faced molesting accusations in 1995 levelled by several former high school boys. He soon went into exile without directly admitting guilt, the Vatican expressed thanks for his service, and to date parishioners have been given no apology or full explanation.
In 1998, J. Keith Symons of Palm Beach, Florida, became the first US bishop to step down after admitting to previous molestation, of five boys in three parishes.
On March 8, Symons’ Palm Beach successor, Anthony J. O’Connell, resigned after admitting serial abuse of an underage student at a Missouri seminary when he was its rector. The Jefferson City, Missouri, diocese paid a private $125 000 settlement in 1996 with no admission of guilt. After O’Connell resigned, three suits were filed by other men.
Poland’s Archbishop Juliusz Paetz, a one-time member of the Vatican staff, denied allegations of past sexual harassment from several priests but submitted his resignation anyway on March 28.
Cardinal Roger Mahony of Los Angeles said April 5 a woman had accused him of abusing her while she a high school student in Fresno. When interviewed, she admitted mental difficulties and was vague on details, and police rapidly dismissed the charges.
Franziskus Eisenbach, the auxiliary bishop of Mainz, Germany, announced his resignation April 16 after a female university professor accused him of sexual abuse and injuries during an exorcism. The Vatican said the resignation was no admission of guilt. ? Sapa-AP