The Catholic Diocese of Green Bay has been named in lawsuit for keeping their knowledge of a priest's propensity for child molestations away from the public, and saving his career by moving him from parish to parish, as reported by the Green Bay Gazette.
Opening statements began on October 11 in a Las Vegas, Nevada courtroom.
The priest the diocese is accused of protecting, Rev. J.F., is currently named in another abuse lawsuit in Outagamie County.
Along with the diocese, also named in the suit is the Roman Catholic Bishop of Las Vegas.
The diocese is accused of deceptively portraying Rev. J.F. as being safe around children though church officials were aware that he had a record of sexual misconduct with children.
In 2004 Rev. J.F. was convicted in Outagamie County on four sexual assault counts and sentenced to jail. The conviction centered on the sexual molestation allegations made by two brothers, that occurred in 1978 when they were aged 12 and 14, and had attended religious education classes at Freedom's St. Nicholas Church.
A civil lawsuit resulted in a $700,000 jury award this past May.
Court records show that Rev. J.F. was transferred to Las Vegas from Fox Valley in 1984.
The Las Vegas victim claims that he was assaulted by Rev. J.F. in 1984. The victim said that Rev. J.F. molested him in his family home. Rev. J.F. was serving the city's St. Francis De Sales Parish at the time.
The attorney for the Vegas man states that the Green Bay Diocese gave a good recommendation for Rev. J.F. to the Vegas bishop.
The complaint states that the diocese purposely hid Rev. K.F.'s history of "sexually molesting children and that he was a danger to children."
John Pilmaier, the director of Wisconsin's Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, SNAP, claims that there is a propensity in the Green Bay diocese to ignore allegations of priest sexual misconduct, and that this case is a example of what that type of deceit can cause. Victims in the state of Wisconsin, according to Pilmaier, are watching the Vegas case.
Allegedly Green Bay Bishop Aloysius Wycislo, deceased in 2005, had knowledge that he chose to keep hidden of Rev. K.F.'s criminal sexual behavior.
A letter, written by Bishop Wycislo to Rev. K.F. in 1983, was included in evidence the Nevada case. Bishop Wycislo wrote that the transfer "might be the answer to your problem."
Bishop Wycislo's letter also states, "I am capable of forgetting about all this and writing a good letter of recommendation for you to a new bishop, and I hope and pray you will find one."
Green Bay Diocese newspaper, "The Compass", ran a letter written by Bishop David Ricken this past August. Bishop Ricken claimed in his letter that the allegations made against Bishop Wycislo, namely that he knew of Rev. K.F.'s abuse history, are groundless. Ricken attested that Rev. K.F. was not moved to different parishes due to any allegations of abuse.
Bishop Ricken's letter states that Rev. K.F. was outspoken and that "When the divisiveness rose to an acute level, he was sent to a different parish with the hopes that he would learn from his past experiences and do better."
Claims of priest abuse can involve not only the priest, but also the diocese that employed him. If you have been abused by a member of the clergy contact a personal injury lawyer to file your lawsuit.