Auxiliary Bishop Richard Sklba, who served under three Milwaukee
archbishops, has retired, but will continue to assist the local Catholic
Church into 2011, the Archdiocese said Tuesday.
Pope Benedict
XVI notified the archdiocese on Monday that it had accepted Sklba's
request for retirement, which he was required by canon law to submit
when he turned 75 on Sept. 11.
A Scripture
scholar who promoted interfaith dialogue at the local and national
levels, Sklba has been accused of participating with now retired
Archbishop Rembert Weakland in the alleged cover-up of clergy sex abuse
cases in the archdiocese.
Sklba acknowledged the sex abuse crisis in his letter announcing his retirement posted on the archdiocese website (www.archmil.orgcalling it a "deep and painful immersion into the Lord's Paschal Mystery."
"Through it all, we know that our God is always and ever an almighty source of healing and new beginnings," he said.
In a letter
to the faithful, also posted on the website, Archbishop Jerome Listecki
called Sklba a selfless and faithful servant who espouses a deep love of
the church.
He said Sklba would continue to assist the archdiocese
through the end of the year and would preside at confirmations into
2011.
SIC: JSO/INT'L