January 20, 2006

For Immediate Release

Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (SNAP) – Milwaukee

Priest who sexually assaulted children in Wisconsin Arrested today in Missouri

Did Dolan violate state Law by not reporting?

Victims last November asked Attorney General to investigate in letter to Dolan

(Letter to Dolan posted below statement)

Statement by Peter Isely, SNAP Midwest Director:

Today, Fr. Bruce McArthur was arrested in Missouri for committing sex crimes against children in Wisconsin in the 1970’s. In a taped deposition released to the Milwaukee media in November, McArthur, a serial child molester, admitted under oath to archdiocesan legal representatives in October 2004 that he committed crimes in Wisconsin.

Because Wisconsin law “tolls” the statute on child sex crimes when an offender leaves the state, Archbishop Dolan should have reported McArthur’s confession immediately to police under the provisions of a state law passed in March 2004 that requires all clerics to report child abuse.

Nearly a dozen priests have been arrested and brought back to Wisconsin since 2003 with the use of the tolling of the criminal statute in Wisconsin for child abuse.

Dolan and the Wisconsin Catholic conference supported the passage of a 2004 mandatory clergy-reporting bill in the wake of public outrage concerning the complicity of church leaders in transferring known clerical offenders to parishes and schools throughout the United States.

McArthur was transferred by the Milwaukee archdiocese to parishes in South Dakota where he continued to abuse children. After being transferred out of Wisconsin, McArthur was convicted of the attempted rape of an elderly patient at a nursing home. When released, he was returned to parish ministry.

McArthur was assigned to parishes, hospitals and schools in Washington, D.C, South Dakota, Wisconsin, Texas, Mexico and Africa.

SNAP leaders and victims of Fr. McArthur hand delivered a letter to Archbishop Dolan last November asking why he did not report Fr. McArthur to police in October 2004 as required by state law and archdiocesan policy. The letter was forwarded to the Wisconsin Attorney General and state officials.

The archdiocese has not replied to the letter.

The public needs to be concerned that church officials are still not reporting information concerning clerical offenders to police as required by law.

The archdiocese acknowledged in November that McArthur was not placed on their published list of priests known to have abused children in the Milwaukee archdiocese.

Contact:

Peter Isely, SNAP Midwest Director (Milwaukee): 414-429-7259

David Clohessy, SNAP National Director (St. Louis): 314-566-9790

November 2004 Letter to Archbishop Dolan

November 10, 2005

The Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (SNAP)

Milwaukee Chapter/SNAPnetwork.org

Archbishop Timothy Dolan/The Cousins Catholic Center

Archbishop Dolan:

In March of 2004 the State of Wisconsin passed a bill requiring that all clergy report information to police concerning the sexual abuse of children. In compliance with this law the archdiocese has issued a policy that states that all information concerning child sexual assault by clergy is forwarded to authorities, regardless of the time in which the abuse occurred. You have repeatedly and in public stated that this is the practice of the archdiocese.

That is why we are deeply concerned that Fr. Bruce McArthur, a serial priest child molester who sexually assaulted children while a priest in this archdiocese in the 1960’s and early 1970’s, who then went on to abuse children as a priest in several other states and countries, appears not to have been reported to authorities in Dodge and Milwaukee counties even though Fr. McArthur admitted in sworn depositions to the archdiocese that he committed crimes against children in your archdiocese. As you must know, approximately a half dozen priest offenders since 2003 have been arrested and convicted in Wisconsin because the church secretly transferred them out of Wisconsin after committing there crimes. Wisconsin law “tolls” the statute on child sex abuse. These crimes are, therefore, within the current criminal statutes.

It is our belief that Fr. McArthur’s admissions to the archdiocese fall under the Wisconsin reporting law. Regardless, they certainly fall under the archdiocesan stated policy of reporting any and all information to authorities concerning priests that have assaulted children.

Of further concern to us is that Fr. McArthur, according to your spokesperson, was not placed on the list of priests who have abused children from the Milwaukee Archdiocese. This leads to a reasonable question as to how many other known child sex offenders you have not placed on your list of offenders.

Fr. McArthur abused children in virtually every assignment he was given as a priest. We believe it is imperative that you personally reach out to victims in the parishes and institutions where Fr. McArthur served in Milwaukee and Beaver Dam, including St. Rose of Lima, St. Philip and St. Theresa and urge anyone who knows, suspects or has witnessed the abuse of child by any adult to seek help and report directly to civil authorities.

Co-signing this letter is Judy Delonga, who was sexually abused by Fr. McArthur in Beaver Damn Wisconsin from age 10.

Sincerely Yours,

Peter Isely

SNAP Midwest Director

414-429-7259;peterisely@yahoo.com

Judy DeLonga

850-712-7532