Rembert George Weakland OSB (born April 2, 1927) is
Rembert George Weakland OSB (born April 2nd 1927 is an American Benedictine monk who served as Archbishop of Milwaukee from 1977 to 2002. Shortly before his mandatory retirement at the age of 75, it was revealed in the press that Weakland had conducted a sexual relationship with a male associate, Paul Marcoux, several decades before, and that the diocese had paid $450,000 to Marcoux to settle litigation arising from the affair
Sexual abuse scandal
Further information: Sexual abuse scandal in Catholic archdiocese of Milwaukee
In 1984, Weakland responded to teachers in a Catholic school who were reporting sexual abuse by local priests by stating “any libelous material found in your letter will be scrutinized carefully by our lawyers.”[citation needed] The Wisconsin Court of Appeals rebuked him for this, calling his remarks “abrupt” and “insensitive”.In 1994, Weakland said those reporting sexual abuse were “squealing”. He later apologized for the remarks.
According to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, a deposition released in 2009 revealed that Weakland shredded reports about sexual abuse by priests. Weakland admitted allowing priests guilty of child sex abuse to continue as priests without warning parishioners or alerting the police.Weakland stated in his autobiography that in the early years of the sexual abuse scandal he did not understand that child sexual abuse was a crime
Retirement and scandal
Weakland retired on May 24, 2002, at the mandatory retirement age of 75. His retirement was overshadowed by revelations that he paid $450,000 of diocesan funds to prevent a lawsuit.Weakland stepped down soon after it was revealed that the diocese had paid $450,000 to Paul Marcoux, a former Marquette University theology student, to settle a claim he made against the archbishop more than two decades earlier stemming from a long-term relationship with Weakland. Weakland admitted to the affair and apologized after the story broke.He came out as gay in 2009, disclosing his sexuality in his memoir A Pilgrim in a Pilgrim Church: Memoirs of a Catholic Archbishop.
Since his retirement, Weakland has twice been invited to move to Benedictine abbeys in the United States, but both invitations were eventually rescinded.
Removal of name from Archdiocese of Milwaukee
In March 2019, it was announced that Weakland, along with former archbishop William Cousins, would have his name removed from buildings in the archdiocese in response to his poor handling of sex abuse cases. The Weakland Center, which houses parish offices and outreach initiatives, was renamed on March 22, 2019.
MARCOUX AT GLENSTAL
Some comments submitted yesterday:
PAT SAYS
I am continuing to receive comments about Glenstal and some members of the community that give credence to Gregory Collins’ assertion that Glenstal is a gay community.
Someone with pubic lice?
Several with “lovers”?
Someone too fond of cameras?
Is Glenstal a posh guest house for mature gay men?
And on the more global scale – is the Benedictine order a mainly gay order?
As my Dad used to say:
“God be with the days when men were men and pansy was the name of a flower” 🤐
THE RICHARD PURCELLL CASE
The preparation of the Roman case re Richard Purcell is nearing completion and will be lodged in the coming days.
BISHOP PAT BUCKLEY 