May 24, 2002

Milwaukee Archbishop Rembert Weakland admitted

Milwaukee Archbishop Rembert Weakland admitted to paying off a man accusing him of sexual assault. The Archbishop denies abusing Paul Marcoux when he was a student at Marquette University in the 1979. When you take the Journal Sentinel story and combine it with a 1980 letter from Weakland to Marcoux, the easiest conclusion to make is that Weakland is a gay Archbishop who succumbed to temptation.

The letter shows that both these men were troubled. Marcoux was dealing with depression, thoughts of suicide, and a break up with another lover. Weakland was dealing with his feelings for Marcoux and his vow of celibacy. Weakland writes:

During the last months I have come to know how strained I was, tense, pensive, without much joy. I couldn't pray at all. I just did not seem to be honest with God. I felt I was fleeing from Him, from facing Him. I know what the trouble was: I was letting your conscience take over for me and I couldn't live with it. I felt like the world's worst hypocrite. So gradually I came back to the importance of celibacy in my life - not just a physical celibacy but the freedom the celibate commitment gives. I knew I would have to face up to it and take seriously that commitment I first made thirty-four years ago. I found my task as priest-archbishop almost unbearable these months and I came to realize that I was at a crossroads - and I knew I had to get the courage to decide.

There are two problems with Weakland. First, he is a gay Archbishop who kept his sexuality away from the eyes of his parishioners. Since I'm not Catholic, I don't know if this is a breach of trust. Catholic doctrine opposes homosexual acts, but I believe homosexual priests are acceptable as long as they are celibate. Second, Weakland used $450,000 in church money to keep Marcoux quiet. To use Andrew Sullivan's words "that money was stolen by the archbishop from his parishioners."

"Weakland Accused, Denies Sexual Abuse"

"Milwaukee Archbishop Admits Settlement with Accuser"