Dolan Calls Clergy Abuse Cancer in Church, by Tom Murray, Today's TMJ4, April 21, 2008

Dolan Calls Clergy Abuse 'Cancer' in Church

By Tom Murray
Today's TMJ4
April 21, 2008

http://www.todaystmj4.com/news/local/17961579.html

[with video]

NEW BERLIN - Pope Benedict XVI left New York Sunday. He left behind a strong call for action on the priest abuse scandal that's plagued the Catholic Church in this country.

Archbishop Timothy Dolan, leader of the Archdiocese of Milwaukee, called clergy abuse a disease in the church that bishops cannot forget.

"[The pope] said let's not deny this," Dolan told TODAY'S TMJ4 reporter Tom Murray during an interview at St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Parish in New Berlin Sunday. "It's a terrible cancer in the mystical body of Christ. We need to own up to this. We need to apologize and to continue effective outreach to victims."

Dolan is back in Milwaukee after taking part in papal events in Washington. The message Dolan heard from the pope is that clergy must persist with healing.

"He said 'Bishops, keep at it,'" Dolan recounted. He took the Pope's message to mean "Don't think that this is some project to settle in a couple years and forget about it. No, keep at it."

The pope addressed clergy abuse many times in several different ways during his first papal visit to the United States. He talked about the issue with reporters on his flight from Rome to Washington, he met with a handful of victims behind closed doors and sent a message to the nation during the televised mass at Nationals' Stadium.

"Today I encourage each of you to do what you can to foster healing and reconciliation, and to assist those who have been hurt," Benedict said during the stadium mass. "Also, I ask you to love your priests."

Mark Salmon of Wauwatosa followed the pope's visit with special interest. A lay Catholic school teacher in Milwaukee abused Salmon when he was 10 years old.

"I was abused by a Catholic grade school teacher who had a history of abuse as seminarian," said Salmon, who now advocates for those who suffered at the hands of priests. "I was quite pleased with the pope. I thought he did a real good job of taking this head on."

For Salmon, the success of the pope's message will be measured by the local response in Milwaukee.

"I hope that the bishops, particularly our archbishop, heeds his words and goes after this and resolves this issue with every victim of sexual abuse," said Salmon.

Salmon claims there are victims in this area who are excluded from the church's pastoral outreach and financial settlements. However, further efforts may be limited. The Archdiocese of Milwaukee has been crippled financially settling these priest abuse cases.