Attorney General Investigation
On Tuesday, April 27th, Attorney General Josh Kaul announced that the Wisconsin Department of Justice would be opening a statewide investigation into clergy and faith leader abuse in Wisconsin. Nate’s Mission and Ending Clergy Abuse are urging survivors, their loved ones, and anyone who knows about or suspects abuse or institutional mismanagement related to clergy or faith leader abuse to utilize the confidential toll-free line or online reporting tool the Attorney General’s office has set-up to share what they have experienced or what they know. Attorney General Kaul has made a public commitment to follow the evidence wherever it leads saying, “no detail is too small.”
Survivors and their loved ones, citizens of Wisconsin, and Catholics deserve to know the truth about what happened in Wisconsin’s dioceses, religious orders, and faith-based organizations. While Wisconsin has been the setting of some of the worst instances of clergy sexual abuse of children and institutional concealment in the United States, it is also the state with the longest continuous survivor activism and public exposure, reaching back almost 30 years and involving 3 generations of survivors. Through years of successful victim activism, public support for transparency and reform, and coalitions of survivor activists, justice officials, and faith leaders, all the elements needed to undertake a historic and lasting initiative exist in Wisconsin. It is our mission that this initiative will lead to real accountability, resolution, justice, and a transition to a post-abuse church.
Survivors and anyone with information can make a report to the Wisconsin Department of Justice using the following resources:
Call the toll-free line to speak to a victim service specialist: 877-222-2620
Make a report using the online reporting tool: SupportSurvivors.widoj.gov