New documents released Thursday detailed a Catholic Church cover-up of a sexually abusive Milwaukee priest.The details were revealed as the result of a California lawsuit that is part of a $17 million settlement from 2006.
The details are outlined in 800 pages of personnel files that track the Rev. Franklyn Becker's priesthood -- until he was kicked out of the church three years ago.
The documents detail a trail of abuse as Becker bounced from parish to parish for decades.Nick Jordan of San Diego was one of the children left in his wake."One must be forthcoming about the past, not hide it.
The Milwaukee Archdiocese consistently prevented the malignancy involving Father Franklyn Becker and his pedophile tendencies from being extracted and divulged," Jordan said.
Jordan was abused in the 1970's after Becker was transferred to California after abuse allegations in Milwaukee.
He was later moved to St. Margaret Mary Parish in Milwaukee, and in a 1980 letter to Archbishop Rembert Weakland, Becker wrote, "With my orientation, the frequent presence of teenage boys in the house at night was tantalizing to say the least. It was during that time that I met the boy with whom I became involved."
Yet, four years later, Weakland wrote to Becker, "It is with great pleasure that I ask you to become the chaplain to the Catholic patients at West Allis Memorial Hospital. I am happy to entrust this office to your pastoral care."
Weakland went on to write, "It is a privilege to share my ministry with you."
"In the Gospels, Jesus does say, 'See to it that you do not look down on these little ones.'
But, the Milwaukee Archdiocese and bishops and cardinals throughout the United States and beyond, have historically said by their actions of withholding such critical employee files, that the privacy rights of criminal priests, matter more than the rights of these little ones," Jordan said.
There's also a record of a 1983 meeting with former District Attorney E. Michael McCann in which it appears he was told of Becker's situation.
He advised the priest should be kept away from children, but if there weren't any other complaints in five years, maybe he could be given another chance.
On Thursday, McCann said,"There was nothing to be charged. There was a question about him but not an allegation of criminal conduct."
Becker lives in Mayville, Wis., and in a document from October, Becker responded to a notice that the file was going to be released, writing, "The Archdiocese has nothing to gain by the release."
He further wrote, "I am in fragile health at this time and pray for release from this life."
In response to the release, Archbishop Timothy Dolan released a statement.
"I have to admit, these decisions are a particularly ugly example of how the church made some dreadful mistakes in its handling of these cases. The reports about this ex-priest are very troubling. Our church must acknowledge that poor decisions were made, regardless of how these decisions were reached. And, the church's decisions about Becker were badly misguided."
You can read the archbishop's entire response and what the archdiocese has been doing in response to the abuse crisis by visiting http://www.archmil.org
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