Retired Milwaukee bishop Richard Sklba, biblical scholar tainted by clergy abuse scandal, dies at 89
By Sophie Carson, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, November 21, 2024
Retired Milwaukee auxiliary bishop Richard J. Sklba has died at age 89.
Sklba was a biblical scholar who taught scripture to seminarians and worked to build connections across religious faiths. But like so many Catholic leaders of his era, his reputation was tainted by the clergy sex abuse scandal.
A spokeswoman for the Archdiocese of Milwaukee said Thursday afternoon that Sklba died overnight.
“He always had a love for the Archdiocese of Milwaukee and generously spent his life in service,” Archbishop Jerome Listecki said in a statement. “Bishop Sklba was a gentleman, a scholar and always a true Christian.”
Bishop was known as scriptural scholar
Sklba retired in 2010, shortly after turning 75, when all Catholic bishops are required to submit their resignations. He filled in at parishes on weekends after retirement.
At the time, Listecki — just in his second year leading the archdiocese — called Sklba selfless and a faithful servant, who “combined an extraordinary pastoral approach with the keen sense of a teacher."
Born in Racine and educated in Rome, Sklba was one of the nation's youngest bishops when he was installed as auxiliary bishop in Milwaukee in 1979. He served in that role under archbishops Rembert Weakland, Timothy Dolan —now cardinal of New York — and Listecki.
Sklba gained a national reputation as a proponent of ecumenical relations. He was active in the U.S. Conference of Bishops and the Catholic Bible Association of America, and was known for building bridges in particular with the Jewish community and the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America.
He co-chaired the national Lutheran/Catholic Dialogue organization for years and chaired the U.S. bishops' committee on interreligious affairs in the mid-2000s.
He also was considered a scriptural scholar, with degrees in theology and philosophy. He taught scripture at both the Saint Francis de Sales Seminary in St. Francis and later, at the Sacred Heart School of Theology in Hales Corners. And he was rector of the seminary in the 1970s.
Lasting legacy for role in clergy abuse scandal
But for some, he will be best remembered as Weakland's "go-to guy" for dealing with clergy sex abuse cases.
Victims of abuse accused him of collaborating with the now-disgraced Weakland in covering up numerous cases of abuse by Milwaukee priests. In a 2002 letter to an abusive priest’s parish, he wrote that he accepted "my own share in responsibility for the culture of silence in the church."
And ahead of a bankruptcy deposition, he wrote that over 40 years, "society's general attitude toward perpetrators of sexual abuse moved in a trajectory from understanding abuse as sin with the possibility of forgiveness, to psychological flaw with hope of treatment, to deeper issues of addiction and finally to criminal activity."
Weakland admitted in 2008 in a state court deposition that he shredded copies of sex abuse documents, failed to notify law enforcement officials and moved sexually abusive priests from parish to parish without warning members of their histories.
Sklba also signed off on Weakland's $450,000 payment in hush money to Paul Marcoux, a former seminarian who had accused Weakland of sexual abuse. Sklba led the archdiocese in the months after Weakland's retirement amid that sex scandal, turning over the reins to Archbishop Timothy Dolan in August 2002.
Sklba's priesthood shaped by Vatican II modernization
His perspective was shaped by Vatican II, the watershed opening-up of the Church that is still the subject of debate today. He was present at the opening session of the landmark council in 1962, according to his online biography.
Weakland told the story of Sklba's elevation to bishop being in jeopardy because of his perspective on the ordination of women. Weakland and Sklba flew to the Vatican to speak with Pope John Paul II, who finally withdrew his objection, according to Weakland.
Weakland wrote of Sklba: "His knowledge of scripture and his personal sanctity were always evident. In this selection as auxiliary bishop, God was indeed good to me — and to the people of Milwaukee."
Sklba also was known for writing columns for the Catholic Herald newspaper in which he mixed history, philosophy and an almost folksy understanding of daily life. One column, from the close of 2023, closed with a particularly apt paragraph.
“Our world seems to be in a mess these days. Bitter division and violence mark every part of our globe. Here at home in the United States, the political parties seem driven by mutual distrust and disagreement. The poor folks left in the political turmoil are so often no longer served. Every part of our world seems wounded. The gift of this New Year offers yet another opportunity for healing and a possible occasion for a fresh start for all of us.”
Annysa Johnson, formerly of the Journal Sentinel, contributed to this report.
This story was updated to add new information.