By Meg Kissinger
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
January 9, 2011
http://www.jsonline.com/features/religion/113164874.html
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| Archbishop Jerome Listecki answers question at a press conference at the Cousins Center, Tuesday January 4, 2011, where he announced that the archdiocese will file a petition for Chapter 11 bankruptcy. Listecki stated that there are financial claims against the church from lawsuits by sexual abuse survivors, abused by priests. |
Six minute recording is played at Catholic Masses
Catholics in the Milwaukee Archdiocese heard a recorded message from Archbishop Jerome Listecki played at most weekend Masses explaining the decision last week to file for financial reorganization and repeating his apology to victims of clergy abuse.
"I want to be very clear that this reorganization is happening because priest perpetrators sexually abused minors, going against everything the church and the priesthood represents," Listecki said.
Lawyers for the archdiocese filed a petition for financial reorganization on Tuesday under Chapter 11 of the federal bankruptcy code.
The archbishop made no excuses for clergy who sexually abused children. His six-minute message was played at most Catholic Masses.
The archbishop's talk was remarkable for its blunt tone.
"Everything said today or any discussion of the impact of clergy abuse on the church pales in comparison to the harm that has been done to the individual victim," he said. "This abuse was sinful and criminal. The actions of the perpetrators were despicable, and I am ashamed because of those actions."
He stood by claims that the reorganization would affect only the archdiocese and not schools, individual parishes, Catholic hospitals or charities that are considered separate entities under state law.
"I know many of you are distressed by this," he said. "I feel the same way."
Listecki apologized, too, for the church's slow response to the scandal.
"I also feel deeply ashamed because the truth is we're here for one reason: because a small percentage of priests sexually abused minors," he said. "Adding to our shame is the fact that it took victim-survivors, all those who came forward, to right a wrong and show us the mistakes that were made. They were the courageous ones."
The statement is posted on the archdiocese's website.
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