ST. FRANCIS — Members of SNAP (Survivors Network of
Those Abused by Priests) and a Minnesota attorney delivered
a civil lawsuit to archdiocesan officials at the Cousins
Center on Thursday, Feb. 10. The lawsuit accuses the
Archdiocese of Milwaukee of fraud.
The lawsuit, filed the same day in Milwaukee County
Circuit Court, accuses archdiocesan officials of intentionally
defrauding Catholics as to the true nature of pedophile
priests being assigned to parishes and schools.
The
case centers on Siegfried Widera, a native of Germany,
ordained a priest for the Archdiocese of Milwaukee
in 1967. In 1973, he pleaded guilty to molesting
a 14-year-old Fredonia boy at St. Mary Parish, Port
Washington,
and was sentenced to three years’ probation. In 1976, he was transferred to St. Andrew Parish, Delavan before being released to the Diocese of Orange in California. He was eventually charged in California with 33 counts of child molestation in addition to nine counts in Wisconsin, but led officials on a year-long manhunt. His life ended in May 2003 when he jumped to his death from a hotel balcony in Mazatlan, Mexico, as authorities were closing in on him.
Along with the lawsuit, filed on behalf of a man
in his 30s allegedly abused by Widera in Delavan, SNAP
released what it called “incriminating documents” indicating church officials tried to “keep the lid on child rape.”
In the civil lawsuit, the man is referred to as John
Doe 1 to protect his privacy, according to Jeff Anderson,
an attorney from St. Paul who represents hundreds of
alleged victims across the country in lawsuits related
to clergy sexual abuse. Anderson described the plaintiff
as a former altar boy at St. Andrew who, between the
ages of 5 and 8 in the mid-1970s, was allegedly abused
by Widera.
The documents, said Anderson, are from the
archdiocese’s file on Widera. Lawyers in California who are pursuing civil litigation involving the deceased priest released the information.
It includes notes from a July 1, 1976, meeting between
Widera and Fr. Donald Weber, then-archdiocesan ombudsman
to priests, in which the latter writes, “Widera admitted that he made ‘a slip.’ He took a boy fishing alone about three weeks ago. He had heard nothing about the incident.... He is on probation with the law — ends in August. He was apparently shook by this discovery and sought advice what to do. I informed him that he probably would be transferred and would need in-patient treatment. I would try to keep the lid on the thing, so no police record would be made.”
Also included in the documentation are notes dated
Sept. 3, 1973 from a conversation between Fr. Paul
Esser, one of seven members of the priest personnel
board, and Fr. Rolland Glass, pastor of St. Mary Parish,
Port Washington where Widera served as associate pastor.
Fr. Glass, who died Dec. 16, 2004, expressed several
concerns about Widera, calling him a “loner” who had difficulty relating to adults, but who “had instant rapport with young boys and spent a lot of time with them.” Fr. Glass noted “a pattern of contact with small boys” and said he confronted Widera about his concerns. “Fr. Siegfried stopped seeing boys for a time, but then went back to it,” according to the notes.
After speaking with Fr. Glass and reviewing Widera’s file, Fr. Esser, now pastor of St. Paul Parish, Racine, expressed reservations about reassigning Widera. According to the documentation, “Paul (Esser) would have problem in conscience to re-assign Siegfried — When? and should they really — in view of Widera’s record???”
Other documentation from the archdiocese’s file on Widera included five letters from parishioners at St. Andrew Parish, Delavan to Fr. John J. Theisen, now retired, then executive secretary of the Priest Personnel Board. Each of the letters praises Widera and thanks the board for placing him in Delavan. In a Feb. 19, 1974 response to one letter writer, Fr. Theisen wrote, “We are most happy to hear that you are so pleased with Father Sig Widera. We are happy to hear that he is doing well in the school and shows so much interest in the children.”
In a press conference organized by SNAP following
the delivery of the lawsuit, Sharon Tarantino, 45,
a member of St. Joseph Parish, Grafton, said she was
sexually abused by Widera when she was an 11-year-old
student at St. Mary Elementary School in Port Washington.
Tearfully, Tarantino described how the popular priest
called her out of class to help with projects such
as clipping coupons or making decorations.
One day,
she said, he asked her for help selecting music for
an upcoming Mass. She said he came up behind her
put his arms around her and abused her. The abuse continued
for several months, she said.
“Polls show that a large majority of Catholics believe that the cover-up of sexual abuse by church leaders is worse than the crime itself,” she said. “They are right. Fr. Widera may have stolen my body, but church officials stole my voice.”
Tarantino, who told a Catholic Herald reporter she
had been through the archdiocesan mediation process,
called herself a practicing Catholic who loves her
church, but she said, “Church leaders betrayed me and all the children of the church. They must be held to account for their actions.”
Tarantino said she is not part of the lawsuit filed
last week, but she said she felt compelled to share
her story to encourage other victims to come forward.
She is a member of the archdiocese’s Community Advisory Board, composed of community leaders and experts in the area of sexual abuse, including victim-survivors who advise the archbishop on issues related to clergy sexual abuse.
Jerry Topczewski, Archbishop Dolan’s chief of staff, noted that the board met Friday, a day after the press conference, and Tarantino was in attendance.
“That’s a sign of the openness the archbishop has encouraged — to have people who through their own tragic experiences as victims and survivors can offer the diocese so much in terms of how things can be better,” he said.
“It is a tribute that one day (Tarantino’s) out front talking about a lawsuit and the next day she’s in a room with other advocates and professionals providing advice on how things can all be better.”
Topczewski said he was unable to comment specifically
on pending litigation, but the archdiocese, through
Nina Kohl, assistant communications director, released
the following statement:
“The Archdiocese of Milwaukee remains committed, has kept its promises and continues to work pro-actively toward resolution of any issues brought to us by victims/survivors of sexual abuse as a minor by diocesan clergy.
“The policies and procedures we have in place today to deal with allegations are strictly adhered to and have been endorsed by our Community Advisory Board and other community experts, victim-advocacy groups and civil officials. All allegations of sexual abuse of a minor received by the Archdiocese of Milwaukee are immediately reported to the appropriate civil authorities.
“Archbishop Dolan is always open to hearing from victims/survivors and others
regarding any concern or issue they may have regarding how the Archdiocese of
Milwaukee works with victims/survivors of sexual abuse as a minor by diocesan
clergy.”
