Awake Asks Questions From Survivors About Wisconsin’s Clergy and Faith Leader Investigation
Back in April, on the second anniversary of the Wisconsin Department of Justice’s (DOJ) Clergy and Faith Leader Abuse Initiative, Awake published a blog post detailing how the DOJ team was trained to work in trauma-sensitive, victim-centric ways with survivors who report that they were abused by a priest or other faith leader.
The post led some survivors who have reported to the DOJ to contact us with questions about the investigation process. Multiple survivors have shared that while the initial reporting process was positive and supportive, they have questions about what happens over the long term, after reports are filed.
“The massive harm to so many, including myself, led me to get on board with the DOJ’s invitation, to contact them, report, and to explore resources,” says Kathryn Walzcyk of Green Bay, who was abused by a priest as a child and now works as a spiritual director at a faith, justice, and spirituality center. When the Wisconsin attorney general launched the clergy and faith leader initiative in April 2021, “I cried as I watched Josh Kaul and the other legal representatives promise to confront the church,” Walczyk explains. “It felt like a big brother stepped in and would finally right some of the wrongs. I reported early on and aided others in the reporting process.”
“My concerns, which are much broader than my own, are not with the reporting process but with follow up, follow through, and clear disclosure from the DOJ,” she adds.
The survivor advocacy group Nate’s Mission has been critical of the DOJ initiative for focusing more on individual abuse cases and less on investigating the role of Catholic institutions such as religious orders and Catholic dioceses in covering up abuse.
Hoping to learn more about the investigation, we took survivors’ questions to Shira Phelps (above, bottom left), the new executive director of the Office of Crime Victim Services for the Wisconsin DOJ.
WHAT HAPPENS WHEN I MAKE A REPORT?
All reports made to the clergy and faith leader abuse hotline are received by a victim services specialist whose “entire job is to work with survivors of clergy and faith leader abuse who have reported to DOJ,” says Phelps, who took the helm of the Office of Crime Victim Services just three months ago. The victim services specialist reviews every report submitted to the hotline, Phelps adds.
Multiple survivors have told Awake that the experience of connecting with the DOJ’s victim services specialist was positive. “She was just very, very friendly,” says Marie, a survivor of sexual assault by a priest, who asked that we not use her real name. “She was very kind and compassionate.” The specialist contacted Marie periodically to update her about her abuse report. Over time, Marie says, the victim services specialist became a “safe person” that she grew to trust.
Any information shared in the reporting process is stored in a confidential database, Phelps says, accessible only by the victim services specialist and Phelps herself, as well as Deputy Attorney General Eric Wilson, who is “very hands-on and involved with this project,” says Phelps, who has worked directly with crime victims for more than 20 years. Victim confidentiality is mandated by law, she adds.
WHEN MIGHT MY ABUSER BE CHARGED?
After a report is submitted, the information is only passed on to a dedicated law enforcement team if the survivor gives their consent, Phelps says. If they do grant their permission, the victim services specialist may set up an interview for the survivor to meet with the law enforcement team and local district attorneys assigned to the initiative.
This process only rarely leads to charges against an abuser. As of April, the DOJ announced that it had collected 248 completed reports, and so far the initiative has yielded three charges. Former Catholic cardinal Theodore McCarrick was charged this spring with fourth degree sexual assault, stemming from a report by a man, now in his 60s, who said that when he was 19, McCarrick groped him while they were in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin. Remington Nystrom, who worked at a church camp established by the Moravian Church of America, pleaded no contest this spring to a charge of second degree sexual assault of a child at the camp. Charges were also filed against Jeffrey Anthony Charles, who served as the pastor for the nondenominational church Neighbors to Nations.
Phelps says the team assigned to the clergy and faith leader abuse initiative continues to work on cases based on survivor reports. “The criminal justice system, as we all know, is not a lightning-fast system,” Phelps says. “These things can take a long time.”
WHO OR WHAT IS THE DOJ INVESTIGATING?
One survivor contacted Awake asking if the DOJ has moved beyond individual abuse cases to broader investigations of Wisconsin dioceses, religious orders, or other religious institutions. Phelps said she could not comment on this, but added, “if a situation met the threshold that the criminal justice system could investigate and pursue charges against a diocese or religious order,” this would potentially fall under the scope of the DOJ’s work, she said.
Marie shared with Awake what her individual investigation looked like. After her initial conversation with the victim services specialist about her abuse, the specialist kept in touch and contacted her periodically to offer updates about her case. Marie’s abuse took place when she was an adult, and there was a suggestion that her local district attorney might pursue a charge of third-degree sexual assault against Marie’s abuser.
But Marie received word in February 2022 that the state was closing the case. Her understanding was that this was due to a lack of physical evidence of her assault; Marie did not visit a hospital for an exam after she was assaulted.
Roughly a year later, the specialist contacted her again, saying that new evidence related to her abuser had emerged in another state, and the DOJ team wanted to resume efforts in her case. Marie gave her consent, but a short time later received a heartbreaking call from the victim services specialist and a local district attorney who had reviewed the new evidence and also consulted legal experts to discuss her case. In the end, they felt that they did not have enough to press charges. “They said, ‘we believe you, but the way the law works, you need evidence,” Marie says. “I felt very supported and pleased with the AG’s investigation and their work. But I feel very let down by the judicial system.”
Marie would very much like her abuser to be listed on the list of credibly accused priests in her diocese, but Phelps notes that these lists are under the control of local dioceses.
“We’ll work with the diocese and we’ll try to put together what we believe is an argument for someone to be on the credibly accused list,” she says. “But at the end of the day, it’s up to the diocese to include someone, and every diocese has its own rules about who they will and won’t put on the list.” For example, most dioceses do not include the names of religious leaders accused of abusing adults.
Marie has some mixed feelings about making a report. “I went back and forth a little bit,” she says. “But ultimately, no, I don’t regret doing it, because I know now in my head and in my heart that I did everything to try to bring this predator to justice. I did everything in my power.”
WHAT IS THE PURPOSE OF THE FINAL REPORT?
When he launched the clergy and faith leader initiative in Wisconsin, Attorney General Josh Kaul (above, top left) pledged to release an extensive report summarizing his findings at the conclusion of the investigation. (The attorneys general of Maryland and Illinois recently released reports about investigations of clergy abuse in their states.)
Phelps says she doesn’t know how long the attorney general plans to continue the Wisconsin investigation, but she anticipates that survivors will be notified before it concludes, and that the DOJ will continue to accept reports about abuse by faith leaders even after the final report is issued. The final report will not include specifics of any individual cases without the survivor’s consent, Phelps adds.
One of the roles of the final report is to provide education. This entire initiative is designed to “raise awareness and let survivors know that we take this crime seriously,” Phelps says. “It also helps to educate the system and the DOJ about these crimes, how to better investigate them, and how to, in some cases, prosecute them.” In theory, the report could also be used to help faith communities prevent future abuse and coverup.
WHAT RESOURCES ARE AVAILABLE TO ME WHEN I REPORT?
One of survivor Kathryn Walczyk’s concerns relates to the resources that Josh Kaul said the DOJ would provide to survivors who make reports to the clergy and faith leader abuse hotline.
Phelps says that the Office of Crime Victim Services is equipped to provide referrals to mental health and trauma healing services as well as housing and other basic needs “that survivors may have when trauma has severely impacted their lives,” she says.
Walczyk says that when she made her report, early on, there appeared to be few resources available. As a spiritual director, she was particularly curious if there was help available for people recovering from spiritual abuse. And given her work in the field, Walczyk offered to share spiritual resources with the DOJ. No one followed up with her.
When asked about resources for people who have suffered spiritual abuse, Phelps says the victim services specialist can offer survivors referrals to outside organizations that address spiritual healing. But “we’re always looking for more. There’s such a need for spiritual healing, but it’s also very individual and one resource won’t work for everyone,” she explains. Asked if the Office of Crime Victim Services is open to receiving information about healing resources in Wisconsin, Phelps responded: “Always, always, always.”
I HAVEN’T HEARD ANYTHING. HOW DO I KNOW WHAT’S HAPPENING WITH MY REPORT?
Phelps encourages anyone with questions about the status of their report to contact the clergy and faith leader hotline, even if they’ve reached out before. “They should always feel empowered to ask questions,” Phelps says. “I hope they know that real human beings are answering the phone and are committed to this initiative and this work. We care about what happened to them and want to do the best we can to help them in this healing journey.”
–Erin O’Donnell, Editor, Awake Blog
