Survivors of Clergy Sex Abuse Call on Sheldon Lubar, District Attorney John Chisholm, and Flynn Donors to Urge Flynn to Drop Out of Wisconsin Governor’s Race

Father Domenic Roscioli, a Milwaukee priest whose mother is a survivor of clergy sex abuse, will be joining Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (SNAP) to call on donors and high-profile supporters of Wisconsin gubernatorial candidate, Matt Flynn, to urge Flynn to drop out of the race for governor. Among Flynn’s most high profile donors and public supporters are Milwaukee-based private investor and venture capitalist, Sheldon Lubar, and Milwaukee County District Attorney, John Chisholm. Both Lubar and Chisholm are co-hosting a private fundraiser for Flynn in Fox Point on July 31st.

Yesterday, Flynn presented to the press a letter of support for his work for the Archdiocese of Milwaukee from the disgraced former Archbishop of Milwaukee, Rembert Weakland. Weakland resigned in 2002 after a secret $450,000 settlement to a young man who claimed Weakland had sexually abused him became public.

In response, Roscioli issued a statement on behalf of his mother and other survivors, sharply critical of both Weakland and Flynn’s role in covering up child sex crimes as detailed in over 10,000 pages of court-ordered publicly available priest abuse files.

In a letter to Lubar, Chisholm, and Flynn donors, survivors of clergy sex abuse are urging contributors to review and read the evidence in the documents, meet with survivors, and join them in working together to support anti-child abuse efforts, particularly the Child Victims Act, legislation that will eliminate the civil statute of limitations on child sex abuse and create a two year look-back window for survivors barred from filing cases due to Wisconsin’s current statute of limitations.

Two statewide newspapers, Democratic legislators Chris Taylor and Melissa Sargent, Women’s March Wisconsin, Wisconsin NOW, Indivisible Madison, and many others have already called on Flynn to withdraw from the Wisconsin gubernatorial race.

Father Dominic Roscioli will join founding member and former Midwest Director of SNAP, Peter Isely, for an 11:30am press conference at the Archbishop Weakland Center at 831 North Van Buren Street.

NOTE: This press release was submitted to Urban Milwaukee and was not written by an Urban Milwaukee writer. It has not been verified for its accuracy or completeness.