Milwaukee Archdiocese Releases Files On 42 Abusive Priests

AP reports that the Catholic Archdiocese of Milwaukee (WI) yesterday released thousands of pages of records relating to 42 of the 45 diocesan priests with substantiated allegations against them of sexual abuse of a minor.  The release was part of an agreement reached in the Archdiocese's Chapter 11 bankruptcy reorganization proceedings where abuse victims are suing the Archdiocese.  A Questions & Answers sheet posted by the Archdiocese yesterday summarizes the 6,000 pages of documents. All the documents and related information are available from the Archdiocese's website. They are also available, catalogued a bit differently, on the website of the law firm representing the victims. One of the released documents that has attracted attention is the deposition of Timothy Cardinal Dolan, president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. The New York Times reports that one of the other documents released yesterday is a 2007 letter from Dolan, then the archbishop, requesting Vatican permission to move $57 million into a cemetery trust fund to shield the assets from clergy abuse victims.