CHURCH ABUSE - ARCHBISHOP REMBERT WEAKLAND

Good Morning America | May 23, 2002 | ABC News

[NYer]

MILWAUKEE (AP) _ Roman Catholic Archbishop Rembert Weakland agreed in 1998 to pay $450,000 to a man who accused him of sexual assault, according to documents cited Thursday by ABC News. ABC said the agreement had required Paul J. Marcoux, 53, to keep silent.

``I was involved in a cover-up. I accepted money to be silent about it, not to speak out against what was going on,'' Marcoux said in an interview broadcast on ``Good Morning America.'' Marcoux (pronounced mar COO) said he was sexually assaulted 20 years ago, when he was a student at Marquette University and had gone to the archbishop seeking advice about entering the priesthood.

Marcoux told the network Weakland ``started to try and kiss me and continued to force himself on me, pull down my trousers and attempted to fondle me.'' ``Think of it in terms of date rape,'' Marcoux told ABC.

ABC said as part of the settlement, the archbishop and the archdiocese denied the claims. It said the church declined to comment until the report was aired. Matthew Flynn, an attorney for the archdiocese, reached after the interview aired on the East Coast but before it appeared in Milwaukee, declined comment to The Associated Press. Jerry Topczewski, the spokesman for the archdiocese, did not immediately return calls from the AP.

The network also quoted from an 11-page handwritten letter that it said was written by Weakland. The letter, dated Aug. 25, 1980, said Weakland could not pay Marcoux more than $14,000 to settle the case.

``I should not put down on paper what I would not want the whole world to read. But here goes anyway,'' the letter said. ``I felt like the world's worst hypocrite. So gradually I came back to the importance of celibacy in my life. ...''

The ABC report said Marcoux sought more money in 1997 and the archbishop paid $450,000 to settle the case on condition of secrecy.

AP-ES-05-23-02 0852EDT

[NYer]

The purge continues.

[NYer]

Wonder who will be next.....

[aristeides]

No wonder Weakland thinks the problem is the victims squealing.

[zbogwan2]

Looks like the Catholic Church is full of these men of Satan from top to bottom?

[sinkspur]

These "hush agreements" ought to be breached. They were unseemly when they were written, and they are covering up criminality now.

Every priest will be suspect, thanks to the continuing revelations. Get them all out, or the cloud will never lift.

[billbears]

Paul J. Marcoux, 53
he was sexually assaulted 20 years ago
started to try and kiss me and continued to force himself on me, pull down my trousers and attempted to fondle me.'' ``Think of it in terms of date rape,'' Marcoux told ABC.

He was 33 at the time? And he let the priest try to pull his pants down? How big is this guy?

[SMEDLEYBUTLER]

Does not surprise me at all that Weakland would have done this or attempted to cover it up. He is a high order heretic whose arrogance has fashioned quite a noose.

[Orual]

He was 33 at the time? And he let the priest try to pull his pants down?

If he tried it with a 33-year-old man, makes one wonder how many more, either younger or near the same age, he had tried it with and succeeded.

[Trust but Verify]

Weakland has also accused young victims of being the seducers. He makes me wretch.

[frmrda]

My thoughts exactly, unless there's a misprint about his age, which is possible. That being said, methinks the letter allegedly written by the Archbishop, if shown to be true, sinks him, as well it should.

[billbears]

I'm just wondering how big this priest is that he thinks he can try something like this with a grown man. And yes, it does make me wonder if he's tried it with younger victims

[Mike Fieschko]

The story is at this abc news page.

[Tacis]

They are not men of satan, they are merely fairies, perverts whose deviant behavior has become much more tollerable in society, in general, because of their involvement. It is not paedophilia as they would have you believe. These guys were fairies when they joined the church and have practiced for many years while in the church.

But, look at the demographics. We see 70 year old fairies bt none who would be of the age group to be sexual predators today. Why? Have they cleaned up their act? No, the answer has to be that the problem is far, far worse than could be imagined. The church is circling the wagons and has begun to tell victims to screw off. It may be that fairy victims will not talk 'til ther're age 30 to 45.

Who is the priest molesting today's altar boys and why haven't we heard ANYTHING about him?

[CWW]

WEakling, as orthodox Catholics call him, has been a thorn in the side of the Church for years. He's all but ousted. He has been a dissenter from Church teachings for years, whether it be abortion, homsexuality, birth control, etc. . . . Now, there's solid evidence to dump him. In no way does he represent the Church.

[SMEDLEYBUTLER]

His particular judgment will be interesting to say the least.

[Rum Tum Tugger]

In no way does he represent the Church.

Unfortunately, he does.

[Orual]

In no way does he represent the Church.

And look how long it has been going on:

Article from 1992.

[AppyPappy]

Looks like attempted homosexual rape to me and the Church paid to keep it quiet,