New archbishop from St. Louis explains strategy

MILWAUKEE -- The newly appointed head of the Milwaukee Archdiocese said one of his first jobs will be to carry out recommendations of a special commission investigating claims of sexual abuse by Catholic priests.

The Rev. Timothy M. Dolan, named by the pope Tuesday to succeed retired Archbishop Rembert Weakland, said he already supports the zero tolerance policy toward abusive priests adopted by the U.S. Conference of Bishops in Dallas earlier this month.

Dolan has been overseeing claims of sexual abuse for the Archdiocese of St. Louis.

The Milwaukee Archdiocese commission's preliminary recommendations included a zero-tolerance policy. Final recommendations are expected four days after Dolan's Aug. 28 induction.

"My personal opinion now is that there's no place in priestly ministry for anyone who's ever abused a child," he said Tuesday.

Pope John Paul II accepted Weakland's resignation May 24, a day after he acknowledged paying a $450,000 settlement to Paul Marcoux, a former Marquette University student who said Weakland sexually assaulted him in 1979.

Weakland, who reached the mandatory retirement age of 75 in April, has denied he abused Marcoux but acknowledged they had an "inappropriate" relationship.

He was the highest-ranking American cleric to acknowledge settling a sexual assault allegation against him.