MILWAUKEE (WI)
LaCrosse Tribune
By M.L. JOHNSON
At least one more priest’s personnel file will be made public as the Archdiocese of Milwaukee wraps up its investigations of sexual abuse claims filed in federal bankruptcy court, the archdiocese’s spokesman said.
The archdiocese released personnel files for 42 priests on July 1 as part of a deal with sexual abuse victims suing it for fraud. Some victims have criticized the church for not releasing more records.
Archdiocese spokesman Jerry Topczewski said this week that another priest’s file has been given to the archdiocese’s attorneys, who will work with victims’ attorneys to decide which portions to make public. A second priest is still under investigation, and his file could eventually become public. But other records will never be released.
The archdiocese has 45 priests on its list of those with verified allegations of abuse. Most of their names have been public since the archdiocese released its initial list in 2004, but one wasn’t added until after the archdiocese filed for bankruptcy in January 2011.
Hundreds of people came forward then with sexual abuse claims, many involving new allegations. The archdiocese treated those claims as new reports of abuse, forwarding allegations about anyone who was still alive to police and opening its own investigations, Topczewski said.
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