MILWAUKEE (WI)
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
By Karen Herzog of the Journal Sentinel July 1, 2013
It took nearly 40 years from the first time Milwaukee priest Daniel Budzynski sexually abused a child until he was finally, firmly told by former Archbishop Timothy Dolan not to wear his collar in public, or present himself as a priest.
Budzynski, who told authorities that he was sexually abused as a child, was linked in 1994 to the sexual abuse of some 50 individuals at 11 different parishes between 1965 and 1994 — many of which he admitted to and described in detail.
When the first allegation from a victim surfaced in August 1973, then-Archbishop William Cousins told Budzynski to take a leave of absence because remaining in the parish could induce publicity that should be avoided.
In 1982, officials sent Budzynski to a residential treatment facility for alcohol abuse and psycho-sexual problems. But once he completed the program, he continued to offend.
His case is detailed in correspondence and internal files released Monday as part of Archdiocesan bankruptcy proceedings. The Budzynski case illustrates the church’s practice of transferring documented predators from parish to parish over decades while the abuse continued and officials worried about the financial liability if victims came forward.
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