Past Catholic Practice Of Turning A Blind Eye To Abuse Coming Back To Haunt The Church?

The Church has had its rocky moments in the past.  LINK.  But the most recent release of information in Wisconsin is likely to fuel additional mistrust.  The Archdiocese of Milwaukee released thousands of pages of documents related to allegations of alleged sex abuse by members of the clergy.  Included in the material were personnel files of more than three dozen priests.  Included in the production was the deposition of New York Cardinal Timothy Dolan, the former archbishop of Milwaukee.The production was not exactly voluntary.  Rather, it was a product of a deal reached in federal bankruptcy court between the archdiocese and victims suing it for fraud.   Victims claimed that the archdiocese transferred problem priests to new churches without warning parishioners as part of a general covered up.

Files released by other Roman Catholic dioceses have detailed how leaders allegedly tried to shield priests by not reporting child sex abuse to authorities. The Associated Press in 2010 alleged that the future Pope Benedict XVI had ignored requests in the 1980s to defrock a California priest who had allegedly molested children. 

Alleged abuse victims have spoken out against the payments and pushed for the archdiocese to release its records.  Alleged victims have sought to hold the church accountable.  Yet most alleged victims did not come forward until adulthood.  (Many missed the statute of limitations to file a civil suit under Wisconsin law for negligence in supervising priests.  However, a 2007 Wisconsin Supreme Court decision allowed a six-year limit to file a fraud case after the deception was uncovered.) The archdiocese filed for bankruptcy in 2011 in order to avoid defending numerous lawsuits based on fraud.  As of June 30, 2012, the archdiocese had spent over $30 million on litigation, therapy and assistance for victims.  Over 500 people have filed claims against the archdiocese.
Most of the allegations arise out of events that occurred many years ago.  However, at least one priest on the list of 45 may currently be under police investigation.  The files suggest that over the time period in question 22 priests may have been reassigned after allegations of abuse.  A handful of the reassigned clery may have abused again. If true, that seems inexcusable.