MILWAUKEE — Roman Catholic priests of the Milwaukee Archdiocese focused their sermons on healing for the church faithful and forgiveness for a former archbishop who acknowledged paying $450,000 to a man who accused him of sexual misconduct.
Priests urged parishioners on Sunday to keep their faith despite several troubling events in recent months, including the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, the sex-abuse accusations against priests nationwide and now by the revelation about former Archbishop Rembert Weakland.
"How I wish I had the wisdom and words to touch your hearts with peace and healing," the Rev. Carl Last told churchgoers at an early morning Mass Sunday at St. John the Evangelist Cathedral in downtown Milwaukee. "How I wish I could bring order to the chaos we're experiencing. How I wish I could take away the pain all of us are experiencing. But I can't."
ABC News first reported Thursday that Weakland agreed to the settlement with Paul Marcoux, 54, in 1998. Marcoux said Weakland tried to sexually assault him in 1979 after they went out to dinner. Marcoux was a Marquette University theology student at the time.
Weakland, one of the church's leading liberals, denied he ever abused anyone but said he agreed to the settlement with Marcoux. Weakland's 25-year tenure ended Friday when the Vatican approved his resignation. He reached the mandatory retirement age of 75 in April.
Nine priests elected Auxiliary Bishop Richard Sklba to lead the 10-county archdiocese of 685,000 Catholics until a new archbishop is installed.
The money for the settlement came from the archdiocese's general budget, not donations, diocese spokesman Jerry Topczewski has said.
The Rev. Mike Hammer's voice broke near the end of a Mass at St. John as he told churchgoers he had "great respect and affection" for Weakland and urged them not to lump Weakland with pedophile priests.
Parishioner John Aschenbrener, 65, of Muskego, said he thought Marcoux's disclosure days before Weakland retired was vengeful.
Julie Remitz, 46, of New Berlin said as she left Mass at St. Luke's that she has stopped giving money to the church because of the Weakland settlement and pedophile priests. She said she's considering leaving the Catholic faith.