Sarah Pearson of Nate’s Mission says the Archdiocese should not have an easy transition to the new archbishop. “Well, we don’t want a seamless transition, because business as usual is not okay," Pearson said.

In his first 100 days of leadership, the group wants Grob to provide abuse-related documents and evidence to the Wisconsin Department of Justice, update the Milwaukee archdiocese’s list of restricted priests, and remove anyone from leadership involved in covering up sexual abuse. 

"Business as usual is not OK," said Sarah Pearson, Nate's Mission deputy director. The group against clergy sex abuse stood outside the cathedral Monday demanding justice, and asking for a meeting with the new archbishop.

Ahead of Monday night’s special prayer vigil, members of Nate’s Mission, the largest organization of clergy sexual abuse survivors and advocates, held a press conference to express their concerns to the archbishop-designate.

Peter Isely, the program director of Nate’s Mission…said after the Milwaukee Archdiocese filed for bankruptcy protections in 2011 under financial pressure over sexual abuse, accusers submitted claims in the proceedings involving more than 200 other clerics, church employees and order members. “Who benefits from (omissions to lists)? The offenders who covered it up,” [said Isely] 

Before the funeral Mass, survivors of clergy sexual abuse organized a protest outside the church. The group accused Bishop Sklba of relocating priests who had abused children from one parish to another. They distributed pamphlets to attendees outlining their accusations against the late bishop.

"You can not put the devastation, the horror and the misery that, unfortunately, this man is responsible for and bury it into a hole of forgetfulness," said Peter Isely, director of Nate's Mission. "That is not the way to move forward."

For some, he will be best remembered as Weakland's "go-to guy" for dealing with clergy sex abuse cases. Victims of abuse accused [Sklba] of collaborating with the now-disgraced Weakland in covering up numerous cases of abuse by Milwaukee priests.

In a statement, clergy abuse advocacy group Nate’s Mission called the choice of Grob “alarming,” citing abuse allegations against an Illinois priest under Grob’s supervision.

“What really re-victimizes us, survivors of clergy abuse, is when the Archdiocese continues to hide clergy records and other documents from us and the general public,” said Kevin Wester, a clergy abuse survivor and former priest of the Archdiocese of Milwaukee.

The decision "completely dismisses what survivors wanted and still want," Nate's Mission program director Peter Isely told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.

The prospect of Mr. McCarrick being forced to answer questions in a criminal trial “gave some hope to survivors that no matter who you are, no matter your power or station in life, you won’t be able to go into that good night without some kind of accountability,” said Peter Isely

Peter Isely, a member of Ending Clergy Abuse, said…"For a victim to see his offender before a judge – even if that appearance is by phone – it can be a day of emancipation and liberation from carrying the awful burden of shame and secrecy that are an inevitable consequence of these crimes…Inexplicably, Judge Reddy did not give the victim that day.”

Clergy sexual abuse survivors on Monday unveiled a proposed new church law calling for the permanent removal of abusive priests and superiors who covered for them, as they stepped up their outrage over Pope Francis’ choice to head the Vatican office that investigates sex crimes.

"I don't know how you can move into a future if you have not solved the criminal problem of (predator) priests and cover-up by the hierarchy in the Catholic Church," Peter Isely, another U.S.-based member of ECA, said about the synod.

“What they want to do is send fear into the survivor community,” said Isley, who helped found the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, also known as SNAP, after being abused by a priest as a child. “And, you know, it’s not going to work. So it’s false. It’s wrong.”

Two years after opening an investigation into sexual abuse committed by faith leaders in Wisconsin, Attorney General Josh Kaul is seeking access to court documents sealed nearly a decade ago in a bankruptcy filing by the Archdiocese of Milwaukee.

Retired Vice Chancellor of the Archdiocese of Milwaukee Father James Connell filed the records request last week. Ending Clergy Abuse and the Freedom From Religion Foundation both backed it.

“Survivors have resorted to filing an open records request with the Wisconsin DOJ to try to learn more about the communication that’s taken place over the past two years now with the DOJ and Catholic Church leaders.”

Nate’s Mission program director Peter Isely and deputy director Sarah Pearson joined us for a discussion about the DOJ initiative. Has it been effective? Is there enough awareness? How does it compare to efforts elsewhere? And when the DOJ releases its final report on the initiative - what does Nate Mission believe that report needs to say?