Rembert Weakland

Rembert George Samuel Weakland (April 2, 1927 – August 22, 2022) was an American Catholic prelate who served as Archbishop of Milwaukee from 1977 to 2002. Weakland previously served as Abbot Primate of the Benedictine Confederation from 1967 to 1977.

During his leadership of the Benedictines and episcopate in Milwaukee, Weakland was known for his theological liberalism and seen as a champion of the Church's progressive wing. His image within the Church was tarnished by the 2002 revelation that he had a decade-long romantic relationship with a man, which resulted in his resignation. Weakland's handling of the sexual abuse cases within his Archdiocese, which only became fully public after his resignation, was the cause of considerable controversy.

In 1945, Weakland entered the novitiate of the archabbey, taking the religious name of Rembert. In September 1946, he went on to study at Saint Vincent College and Saint Vincent Seminary, also in Latrobe. He made his solemn profession as a monk on September 29, 1949, at Solesmes Abbey in France. The archabbot then sent Weakland to study theology at the Pontifical Atheneum of St. Anselm in Rome. He furthered his studies in music in Italy, France, and Germany, as well as at the Juilliard School and Columbia University, both in New York City.

While researching at the British Library in London, Weakland discovered the text of a medieval liturgical drama, the Play of Daniel. He then released an authoritative text with commentary. The drama has been frequently staged by musical groups, such as the New York Pro Musica. From 1957 to 1963, Weakland taught music at St. Vincent College.

Archbishop of Milwaukee On September 20, 1977, Pope Paul VI appointed Weakland as Archbishop of Milwaukee. He was consecrated on November 8 in the Cathedral of St. John the Evangelist in Milwaukee by Archbishop Jean Jadot.

Weakland's tenure was divisive due to his pronounced liberal views and liturgical experiments. While unapproachable to some and jarring in his coverups for abusive priests, he also sought to reach Catholics on the margins of church and society. He gave support for the Milwaukee AIDS Project. Amidst abortion controversies, Weakland participated in public listening sessions, encouraging Catholic women to share their views on the issue.

In 1999, Weakland received a doctorate in musicology – "with distinction" – from Columbia University, for his thesis on "The Office Antiphons of the Ambrosian Chant".

Rape allegation and fallout On May 24, 2002, Pope John Paul II accepted Weakland's resignation as Archbishop of Milwaukee, shortly after his age-mandated resignation request at the age of 75. His retirement was overshadowed by revelation of a large payout to prevent a lawsuit. The archdiocese had paid $450,000 to Paul Marcoux, a former seminarian studying at Marquette University, to settle a "date rape" claim he made against Weakland more than two decades earlier, stemming from a long-term relationship with him. Weakland admitted to the affair and apologized after the story broke, while denying accusations of rape.

Following his retirement, Weakland twice announced he was moving to a Benedictine abbey, first to his former home at St. Vincent Archabbey, then to St. Mary's Abbey in Newark New Jersey. However, the Benedictines rescinded both invitations. In 2009, Weakland announced that he was gay in his memoir A Pilgrim in a Pilgrim Church: Memoirs of a Catholic Archbishop.

In March 2019, the archdiocese announced that it was removing Weakland's name from buildings in the archdiocese. The Weakland Center, which houses parish offices and outreach initiatives, was renamed on March 22, 2019.

In his later years, Weakland was in poor health, being in hospice care in his condo in Milwaukee. He died on August 22, 2022, at his residence in Greenfield, Wisconsin, following a long illness. A public Mass of Christian burial was offered by Archbishop Jerome Listecki at the Cathedral of St. John the Evangelist on August 30, 2022. Weakland's remains were interred at the cemetery of St. Vincent Archabbey on September 1, 2022.

Sex abuse cover-ups

In 1984, Weakland responded to teachers in a Catholic school who were reporting sexual abuse by local priests by stating "any libelous material found in your letter will be scrutinized carefully by our lawyers". The Wisconsin Court of Appeals rebuked him for this, calling his remarks "abrupt" and "insensitive". In 1994, Weakland said those reporting sexual abuse were "squealing". He later apologized for the remarks. Weakland admitted allowing priests guilty of child sex abuse to continue in ministry without warning parishioners or alerting the police. He stated in his autobiography that in the early years of the sexual abuse scandal, he did not understand that child sexual abuse was a crime.

Liturgical controversy In 1965 to 1966, Weakland served as president of the Church Music Association of America (CMAA). According to an account by Richard Schuler, a split emerged very quickly. In 1966, having attended the Fifth International Church Music Congress in August, organized by the Consociatio Internationalis Musicae Sacrae (CIMS), Weakland criticized the "reactionary attitudes in liturgical thinking" that he said were present at the meeting. In interviews with the press, he expressed regret that the meeting failed to include modern music and dancing in its liturgical agenda. His views did not prevail within the CMAA and he resigned the presidency later that year.

In 2000, Weakland was a critic of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith's document Dominus Iesus on religious relativism. One of his last major actions as archbishop was to effect a controversial renovation of the Cathedral of St. John the Evangelist.

Interfaith efforts Involved in interreligious initiatives, it was during Weakland's time as Abbot Primate of the Benedictine Confederation that DIMMID (Dialogue Interreligieux Monastique - Monastic Interreligious Dialogue) was founded in 1977. Created under the directive of Cardinal Sergio Pignedoli, it was suggested as part of a monastic interreligious dialogue with Buddhists and others.