1 Sworn Statement of FRANKLYN BECKER, 8/7/06 1 2 --------------------------------------------------------- 3 4 Sworn Statement of: FRANKLYN BECKER 5 6 --------------------------------------------------------- 7 8 Sworn Statement of FRANKLYN BECKER 9 Monday, August 7th, 2006 10 11 12:45 p.m. 12 at 13 STEINHAFEL, SMITH & ROWEN, S.C. 15460 West Capitol Drive 14 Brookfield, Wisconsin 53005 15 16 Reported by Kealoha A. Schupp, RPR 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 Gramann Reporting, Ltd. (414) 272-7878 2 Sworn Statement of FRANKLYN BECKER, 8/7/06 1 A P P E A R A N C E S: 2 JEFF ANDERSON & ASSOCIATES, P.A., by Mr. Jeffrey R. Anderson 3 Mr. Michael G. Finnegan 332 Minnesota Street 4 St. Paul, Minnesota 55101 Appeared on behalf of Nick J., Jim E. and 5 Chuck L. 6 E X A M I N A T I O N 7 BY MR. ANDERSON 3 BY MR. FINNEGAN 87 8 BY MR. ANDERSON 89 9 E X H I B I T S 10 EXHIBIT NO. PAGE IDENTIFIED 11 A Personnel 7 12 B Daybook Notes Regarding Nick J. 40 C Protected Individuals' Names 4 13 D Newspaper Article Regarding Bishop Maher 42 E 6/81 Newspaper Articles 67 14 F Protected Individuals' Names 70 15 16 (Exhibits retained by Mr. Anderson.) 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 Gramann Reporting, Ltd. (414) 272-7878 3 Sworn Statement of FRANKLYN BECKER, 8/7/06 1 TRANSCRIPT OF PROCEEDINGS 2 FRANKLYN BECKER, called as a witness 3 herein, having been first duly sworn on oath, was 4 examined and testified as follows: 5 EXAMINATION 6 BY MR. ANDERSON: 7 Q Would you please state your full name for the record? 8 A Franklyn W. Becker. 9 Q Mr. Becker, as you know, my name is Jeff Anderson, 10 and we've spent some time here talking this morning, 11 have we not? 12 A Yes, we have. 13 Q You understand, do you not, that I am a lawyer? 14 A Yes. 15 Q And you understand that I represent Nick J., Jim E., 16 and Chuck L., correct? 17 A Yes. 18 Q And I'm using their abbreviated initials or not using 19 their last names simply to respect the privacy of 20 those individuals, but I have given you each of those 21 individuals' names, have I not? 22 A Yes, you have. 23 Q Okay. And throughout this statement, if I use some 24 additional names that I think -- of people whose 25 identity needs some protection, I will write down on Gramann Reporting, Ltd. (414) 272-7878 4 Sworn Statement of FRANKLYN BECKER, 8/7/06 1 Exhibit C the name of that individual. So I'll show 2 you the name of that individual, and then we'll 3 identify him or her in the record by first name and 4 last initial; is that acceptable to you? 5 A Yes. 6 Q Before we go forward with this statement, I'd like 7 you to -- advise you that because I'm a lawyer and 8 you're not, I want you to know and understand that 9 you have every right to have a lawyer present and be 10 represented by a lawyer; do you understand that? 11 A Yes. 12 Q And have we discussed the fact that you have a right 13 to have a lawyer? 14 A Yes, you have. 15 Q And do you understand that you're proceeding today 16 without a lawyer and choosing to do that? 17 A Yes. 18 Q Okay. Is there anything that you're taking by way of 19 medication or anything that would impair your ability 20 to remember and give honest testimony here today? 21 A I'm taking medication. I'm not sure whether it would 22 affect any testimony. 23 Q Okay. So you're not under the influence of any 24 prescribed or non-prescribed drugs or anything like 25 that, correct? Gramann Reporting, Ltd. (414) 272-7878 5 Sworn Statement of FRANKLYN BECKER, 8/7/06 1 A I'm taking prescribed medication, yes. 2 Q What medication do you take? 3 A I'm taking three prescription medications, Niaspan 4 Lipitor and Flomax. 5 Q Okay. That's largely for some physical conditions -- 6 A Right. 7 Q -- you have, correct? 8 A Right. 9 Q Okay. So that the court reporter can write down the 10 questions that are being asked and the answers that 11 you give, try to wait for me to finish my question; 12 can you do that? 13 A Yes. 14 Q Okay. And should you not understand any question 15 that I ask, just let me know, and I'll be happy to 16 rephrase it for you. 17 Throughout this statement I may also 18 ask you some questions that -- in which you may have 19 a privilege that could apply, and if I do, I'll 20 advise you of certain privileges that I think apply. 21 And I'm doing that as an officer of the court and not 22 because I represent you; do you understand that? 23 A Yes. 24 Q Okay. How old are you, Mr. Becker? 25 A I'm 69 complete. Gramann Reporting, Ltd. (414) 272-7878 6 Sworn Statement of FRANKLYN BECKER, 8/7/06 1 Q Okay. And it's about one -- excuse me. It's about 2 12:50, and we're in the law offices of -- I forgot 3 the name of the firm. It's Jim Smith's law office, 4 and I can't remember the name of the law firm. 5 Oh, it's Steinhafel, Smith and Rowen. 6 And we're at the offices of 15460 West Capitol in -- 7 what city is this? 8 COURT REPORTER: Brookfield. 9 BY MR. ANDERSON: 10 Q -- Brookfield; is that correct? 11 A Yes. 12 Q Okay. What is your date of birth? 13 A July 15th, 1937. 14 Q Okay. And what is your current address? 15 A 1439 Dayton Street, Apartment 215, Mayville, 16 Wisconsin. 17 Q Okay. And you understand that in the case of Nick J. 18 and Chuck L., that litigation or civil lawsuits have 19 been initiated against the Archdiocese of Milwaukee, 20 and in the case of Nick J. the Archdiocese of 21 Milwaukee, and the Diocese of San Diego? 22 A Yes. 23 Q Okay. And you understand that I'm interested in 24 getting this statement from you because we believe 25 that you have some information that is of interest to Gramann Reporting, Ltd. (414) 272-7878 7 Sworn Statement of FRANKLYN BECKER, 8/7/06 1 us and -- in those cases? 2 A Yes. 3 Q You also understand that we've entered into an 4 agreement with you that should any judgment be 5 rendered in this case, that we -- that is myself, my 6 law offices, attorneys working with me and any of the 7 clients that I represent, agree not to collect or 8 seek collection of any judgments against you; do you 9 understand that? 10 A Yes, I do. 11 Q And we entered into a written agreement to that 12 effect before we proceeded today, correct? 13 A Yes. 14 Q And is it also true that I advised you that you had a 15 right to consult with counsel before we proceeded? 16 A Yes. 17 Q Okay. And having been advised of that right, is it 18 now your -- your election and choice to move forward 19 with this statement? 20 A Yes, it is. 21 Q Okay. According to the -- according to the 22 information that we've gotten -- and I'll show you -- 23 you have before you -- I'll show you Exhibit A, and 24 these are some personnel records that we have 25 received, and they're partial. That means they're Gramann Reporting, Ltd. (414) 272-7878 8 Sworn Statement of FRANKLYN BECKER, 8/7/06 1 not complete. But if you look at Exhibit A -- look 2 at No. -- page one there. Do you see a stamp, 0001? 3 A Yes. 4 Q Okay. And then look at page two of that same 5 document. What does this appear to you to be? It 6 says a personnel record of Reverend Franklyn William 7 Becker; is that right? 8 A Yes. 9 Q And is this -- is this something typed out by you? 10 A Yes, it is. 11 Q Okay. What do you think this would be? 12 A It's a record of my schools attended and my 13 assignments up until 1976. 14 Q Okay. And looking at this, it appears that you spent 15 a semester at Carroll College after graduation from 16 high school at Mayville, right? 17 A Not a complete semester. I was there several weeks. 18 Q Okay. And according to this, at seminary you went to 19 St. Francis Minor Seminary from '55 to '57; is that 20 correct? 21 A Yes, that's correct. 22 Q Okay. And who is the rector at Minor Seminary; do 23 you remember? 24 A Monsignor Louis E. Riedel. 25 Q And then according to this, you went to Major Gramann Reporting, Ltd. (414) 272-7878 9 Sworn Statement of FRANKLYN BECKER, 8/7/06 1 Seminary after St. Francis Minor Seminary; is that 2 right? 3 A That's right. 4 Q How -- tell me about that. What was your purpose in 5 going to seminary? 6 A I felt I had a call to priesthood, and I pursued my 7 studies which would lead me to ordination. 8 Q Okay. And ultimately you were ordained a Catholic 9 priest of the Archdiocese of Milwaukee? 10 A Yes. 11 Q And at -- prior to ordination, you -- you qualified 12 for a subdiaconate and diaconate, did you not? 13 A Yes. 14 Q And at some point in time you were required to take 15 a -- both a vow of obedience and a vow of celibate 16 chastity, correct? 17 A It wasn't a vow. It was a promise, a promise. It 18 was -- it was a requisite for the ordination. 19 Q In terms of the requisite of a promise of celibate 20 chastity, were you trained in seminary or in 21 preparation for ordination for how to manage your own 22 sexuality and how to lead a celibate life? 23 A That's difficult to answer. I -- I was very naive in 24 that period of my life, and I don't think I really 25 understood very much about sexuality. Gramann Reporting, Ltd. (414) 272-7878 10 Sworn Statement of FRANKLYN BECKER, 8/7/06 1 Q And when you made the promise of celibate chastity, 2 at least as you understood it then, what did that 3 mean to you that you could or could not do when it 4 came to your own sexuality? 5 A I think it -- primarily that you renounce the right 6 to marry. 7 Q Okay. 8 A Mm-hmm. 9 Q According -- according to this, after -- after going 10 to seminary minor and major, you did some studies at 11 the Albert Cardinal Meyer Institute in Milwaukee; do 12 you recall that? 13 A Those were courses that were offered, you know -- 14 Q I see. 15 A -- post-ordination, and I can't recall the -- the 16 content. 17 Q Okay. You did receive a BA and a BD degree from 18 St. Francis Seminary? 19 A The equivalency, yeah. Actually, I didn't have 20 the -- the BD -- well, I don't know what BD stands 21 for. 22 Q I don't know either. 23 A Pastor of -- 24 (Reporter interruption.) 25 THE WITNESS: Bachelor of Divinity, I think Gramann Reporting, Ltd. (414) 272-7878 11 Sworn Statement of FRANKLYN BECKER, 8/7/06 1 it would be. Some of the other students went on to 2 get their master's of divinity, and I did not receive 3 that. That came later. But I did have those -- 4 those two degrees, yes. 5 BY MR. ANDERSON: 6 Q And you were ordained by then presiding Archbishop 7 William Edward Cousins, correct? 8 A Correct. 9 Q Okay. And it was to him that you made both a promise 10 of obedience and to celibate chastity and to his -- 11 his successors, correct? 12 A Right. 13 Q And you remained a priest to the Archdiocese of 14 Milwaukee until laicization became effective, and 15 that was, what, two years ago? 16 A Yes, that's right, mm-hmm. 17 Q Is your answer yes to that? 18 A Yes, yes. 19 Q I'd like to -- I'd like to ask you some questions 20 about -- about your -- your years and just prior to 21 your ordination as a priest of the Diocese of 22 Milwaukee, Mr. Becker. And we had talked a little 23 bit about this, but I'd like to ask you under oath. 24 There was a situation that came to the 25 attention of the rector of the seminary, and then to Gramann Reporting, Ltd. (414) 272-7878 12 Sworn Statement of FRANKLYN BECKER, 8/7/06 1 then Archbishop Cousins concerning a Lyle D. I'll 2 use his initial. And when I -- when I use that name, 3 I'll show you the full name on this exhibit. Is that 4 a Lyle D.? 5 A That's correct. 6 Q Okay. What -- who was then the rector when this 7 situation arose with Lyle D.? 8 A Monsignor Frank M. Schneider. 9 Q And what do understand happened that caused -- well, 10 what -- what information came to Monsignor Schneider, 11 and how did he get it, do you know? 12 A I'm unclear about that. I presume that the -- the 13 person mentioned reported this himself. However I 14 cannot be sure. 15 Q Okay. So at least as you give a statement here 16 today, it's your belief that Lyle D. made some report 17 of some kind of sexual encounter to Monsignor 18 Schneider? 19 A I believe so. 20 Q Okay. And Monsignor Schneider was then the rector of 21 this seminary? 22 A That's correct. 23 Q And what do you understand Monsignor Schneider did 24 with that report? 25 A He called me into his office and suggested possibly Gramann Reporting, Ltd. (414) 272-7878 13 Sworn Statement of FRANKLYN BECKER, 8/7/06 1 that I would meet with Archbishop Cousins to 2 determine whether I would be ordained. 3 Q Okay. And so -- so as a result of that report, at 4 least the rector called -- called your ability to be 5 ordained into question, but that would be something 6 for Archbishop Cousins to decide? 7 A That's correct. 8 Q Okay. After that meeting with -- did the rector 9 then, Monsignor Schneider, ask you what had happened 10 with -- with Lyle D., or not? 11 A I don't recall. I don't think there was any -- any 12 detail. 13 Q Okay. 14 A No. I don't recall the details. 15 Q And then did you in fact meet with Archbishop Cousins 16 because of this report? 17 A Yes, I did. 18 Q Okay. And why don't you tell us about that. What 19 happened? Was it at his office? 20 A I met at his office, which was then at 2000 West 21 Wisconsin Avenue. And it was a short meeting, and I 22 think I -- he asked me several questions, and -- 23 which I answered. And he determined that in lieu of 24 the answers that I had given, that he did not see any 25 reason why he should not ordain me. Gramann Reporting, Ltd. (414) 272-7878 14 Sworn Statement of FRANKLYN BECKER, 8/7/06 1 Q Did he ask you if you had in fact had this sexual 2 encounter as reported to him with Lyle D.? 3 A I don't recall. I don't recall the details. 4 Q Okay. Were you truthful with him about what he asked 5 you? 6 A I think -- I believe I was, yes. 7 Q So were you led to believe that he -- then Archbishop 8 Cousins knew something about what had happened with 9 Lyle D.? 10 A I believe so. 11 Q What do you believe he knew about that? 12 A Whatever Monsignor Schneider had reported him -- 13 reported to him. 14 Q Okay. And did Archbishop Cousins let you know that 15 Monsignor Schneider in fact had reported this 16 information to him and set up the meeting with you 17 and him? 18 A I would -- I would gather. I mean, I don't know -- I 19 don't know the specifics. 20 Q Okay. At that time you met with Archbishop Cousins, 21 did he give you any instructions or admonitions about 22 this matter and not -- 23 A I can only recall his parting words, which were, 24 "Don't muddy the waters." 25 Q "Don't muddy the waters." As you heard Archbishop Gramann Reporting, Ltd. (414) 272-7878 15 Sworn Statement of FRANKLYN BECKER, 8/7/06 1 Cousins say that to you under those circumstances, 2 what did that mean to you then, Mr. Becker? 3 A Well, I guess not to -- to stir up anything, or not 4 to stir up trouble. 5 Q Okay. And were you in fact ordained then sometime 6 after that? 7 A I was ordained May 30th, 1964. 8 Q Okay. Someplace there shows an ordination record of 9 1960. 10 A That would have been the completion of my college 11 training. That's when I received my degree. 12 Q Okay. 13 A My BA degree. 14 Q Okay. So your actual ordination was in '64? 15 A '64, right. 16 Q And then shortly after that you received your first 17 assignment as a priest? 18 A Correct. 19 Q And that was then to Holy Assumption in West Allis? 20 A That's correct. 21 Q As an associate pastor? 22 A That's right. 23 Q And who was the pastor there? 24 A Phillip J. Rose. 25 Q Okay. And you served at Holy Assumption, according Gramann Reporting, Ltd. (414) 272-7878 16 Sworn Statement of FRANKLYN BECKER, 8/7/06 1 to records, for about four years; does that sound 2 right? 3 A That's correct. 4 Q And while serving there, did you have struggles with 5 your promise of celibacy? 6 A Not -- not that I recall. I -- my assignments were 7 primarily dealing with youth, but I can't remember 8 that there were any struggles. 9 Q Okay. In terms of the assignments you had with 10 youth, what kind of assignments was that with youth? 11 A Well, it was rather typical of the junior associate 12 to be in charge of the altar boys, the CYO, the 13 chaplain to the scouts. And those were the primary 14 areas that I was involved in, in addition to regular, 15 you know -- regular parish work, you know. 16 Q Okay. 17 A But those were kind of the specific areas where you 18 were assigned. 19 Q Towards the end of your assignment to Holy 20 Assumption, did you encounter some difficulty where 21 you were moved out of there and had a conversation 22 with -- with Father Rose? 23 A It was kind of a routine move in view of the fact 24 that he was retiring, and -- however he did make a 25 comment to me, which perhaps indicated that he had Gramann Reporting, Ltd. (414) 272-7878 17 Sworn Statement of FRANKLYN BECKER, 8/7/06 1 some knowledge of -- of some incident that I was 2 unaware of. 3 Q What was the comment that he made to you? 4 A The comment was, "If you were having problems, why 5 didn't you come to me? I took a course in boyology." 6 Which I thought was rather strange at the time, but 7 that was all that was said. 8 Q What problems do you think he was referring to when 9 he made that comment to you? 10 A I had a feeling that there had been perhaps a -- a 11 letter or a phone call that he was reacting to. 12 Q Involving the youth at the parish? 13 A I think -- I would gather. 14 Q Okay. And you were assigned then shortly after that 15 to another parish, were you not? 16 A That's right. 17 Q And that parish was at St. John? 18 A That's correct. 19 Q And that's in Milwaukee. St. John -- is that 20 pronounced Nepomuc? 21 A St. John De Nepomuc. 22 Q Okay. St. John -- 23 A Bohemian parish. 24 Q Okay. And do you know why you were moved from Holy 25 Assumption in West Allis to St. John in Milwaukee? Gramann Reporting, Ltd. (414) 272-7878 18 Sworn Statement of FRANKLYN BECKER, 8/7/06 1 A As I said, it was a -- kind of a routine move in view 2 of the fact that their -- the current pastor was 3 retiring and a new pastor was coming in, and it was 4 not unusual to -- to make changes at that time. 5 Q Okay. And going back to the pastor, Father Phillip 6 Rose at Holy Assumption, when he said, I took a 7 course in boyology. Why didn't you tell me you were 8 having problems. What did you think he meant by 9 boyology and what course was he talking about, do you 10 know? 11 A Well, maybe dealing with adolescent youth and their 12 problems. Or I'm not sure whether he likened himself 13 to Father Flanagan or what, but I think he probably 14 felt that he was more -- more knowledgeable. 15 We had -- Father Rose knew my father 16 before I did, because they grew up in the -- they 17 lived in the same city. So I think maybe he took 18 kind of a paternal interest in me because of that. 19 Q When you were serving at Holy Assumption did you 20 consider yourself to be at that time gay? 21 A I think I became aware of my orientation in my last 22 year in the seminary. 23 Q Okay. 24 A And -- but I was not -- I was not open, you know. I 25 mean, I was not -- what should I say? I certainly Gramann Reporting, Ltd. (414) 272-7878 19 Sworn Statement of FRANKLYN BECKER, 8/7/06 1 would not have advertised it. 2 Q Did you share that orientation with the rector and 3 the staff at the seminary? 4 A Well, they were aware, because in fact when I was 5 called in by the rector, he said, well we knew these 6 things about you because of the psychological testing 7 that they had done, but we did not take any action. 8 Q I see. 9 A Mm-hmm. So -- so he said apparently they had -- as I 10 said, they did testing of candidates. 11 Q Then directing your attention to the period where you 12 were at St. John De Nepomuc -- 13 A De Nepomuc. 14 Q -- De Nepomuc in Milwaukee? 15 A That's a tongue twister. 16 Q I know. During -- looks like you were there from 17 1968 to '72, June of '68 to February of '72; does 18 that sound about right? 19 A That's right. 20 Q So we're talking about an -- oh, little less than 21 four-year period. And during that four-year period 22 while serving there, there were some rumors of some 23 kind that surfaced there involving you and youth. 24 What can you tell us about that? 25 A I really was not aware until the end of my tenure. Gramann Reporting, Ltd. (414) 272-7878 20 Sworn Statement of FRANKLYN BECKER, 8/7/06 1 Q And towards the end of your tenure what did you 2 learn? What happened? 3 A Well, I knew that there were people that didn't 4 particularly like me, and I felt it was due to the 5 fact that they -- I was too progressive. 6 I was in a difficult situation, 7 because I was -- it was post-Vatican II, and the 8 current pastor was unwilling to cooperate with the 9 formation of a parish council. And as a result, the 10 parish was quite divided, and actually the -- the 11 pastor ended up retiring, and a new pastor was sent 12 in. And the new pastor had an alcohol problem which 13 caused me eventually to leave the parish. 14 Q Okay. And did you request to be assigned from that 15 parish, or did the then archbishop move you from the 16 parish? 17 A Another priest and myself decided that we were going 18 to leave the parish because we didn't want to be 19 blamed for any recidivism of the pastor's alcoholism 20 on his return from treatment. 21 Q Okay. 22 A So we left the -- we both left, and I moved in with 23 my brother, and he -- and I found lodging for him at 24 another rectory. 25 Q Was it at that parish that you came to know a Jim Gramann Reporting, Ltd. (414) 272-7878 21 Sworn Statement of FRANKLYN BECKER, 8/7/06 1 Essenberg? 2 A Yes. 3 Q And he was one of the youth at the parish there. 4 A That's right. 5 Q Okay. And you said towards the end of your tenure 6 some rumors came to your attention. Tell me more 7 about that, what you learned and how that played into 8 your -- 9 A Well, all I know is that there was a man in the 10 parish who was a Fuller Brush man who -- see, I 11 learned about this after my exitus from the parish, 12 that he was saying things about me at the new parish 13 to which I was assigned. 14 Q And was that Mr. Miller? 15 A That was Mr. Miller. 16 Q Yes. And had you had some kind of relationship to 17 youth in his family or another family or -- 18 A No -- 19 Q What was it? 20 A No one -- no one related to his family. And I'm not 21 even sure -- and I -- and I have no recollection of 22 anything untoward with Jim E. 23 Q Do you recall it being reported that he had 24 complained or spread some information about your 25 relationship with some youth in the parish or some Gramann Reporting, Ltd. (414) 272-7878 22 Sworn Statement of FRANKLYN BECKER, 8/7/06 1 little boys? 2 A It was a general comment that he made to one of his 3 customers in the -- in Whitefish Bay. 4 Q What did you understand that comment that he made to 5 have been? 6 A It was something like, watch out for your boys, or 7 something like that. 8 Q And do you know if that comment that was made and 9 attributed to him went to anybody besides you, the 10 pastor, anybody else? 11 A It didn't go -- I heard about it from a parishioner 12 who -- who was one of his customers. 13 Q Okay. And who was that? 14 A I can't be -- I can't remember the -- it could have 15 been one of several people, and I'm not sure. No, I 16 can't answer that. 17 Q Okay. And do you know if that comment and/or rumors 18 concerning that kind of thing had anything to do with 19 your assignment or reassignment from that parish? 20 A No, I don't think so. As I said, I left St. John's 21 on my own. And then I was later reassigned to Holy 22 Family. 23 Q Okay. And according to records, it looks like you 24 were reassigned to Holy Family in February of '72; 25 does that sound about right? Gramann Reporting, Ltd. (414) 272-7878 23 Sworn Statement of FRANKLYN BECKER, 8/7/06 1 A That sounds about right, mm-hmm. 2 Q And Holy Family was Whitefish -- in Whitefish Bay? 3 A That's right. 4 Q What kind of parish was that? 5 A It was a very divided parish in that the former 6 pastor had been removed through grievance procedures, 7 and I was sent in there with a -- a new pastor to try 8 to calm the waters. 9 Q Who was the former pastor? 10 A The former pastor was Father George Wollet, who was 11 the founding pastor. 12 Q And you served at Holy Family there in Whitefish Bay, 13 according to records, for a little less than two 14 years; does that sound about right? 15 A That's about right, mm-hmm. 16 Q And during that two-year period of time, were you the 17 associate pastor or the pastor? 18 A I was the associate pastor. 19 Q And who would have then been the pastor? 20 A Well, when I went there Father Harold Ide was the 21 newly-appointed pastor, and I was part of the team. 22 Q Okay. And Ide is spelled I-D-E? 23 A I-D-E, correct. 24 Q And is Harold Ide deceased? 25 A He is deceased. Gramann Reporting, Ltd. (414) 272-7878 24 Sworn Statement of FRANKLYN BECKER, 8/7/06 1 Q Okay. And while serving there at Holy Family you 2 became very close to a family. And we'll call the 3 mom's name Marianne, and I'll write down the last 4 name here, and we'll call it Marianne S., okay? 5 A All right. 6 Q And showing you Exhibit C, the second name I've 7 written, is that the -- is that the full name of 8 Marianne S.? 9 A That's right. 10 Q Okay. And she had a couple -- I guess, three kids, 11 and two sons that you became close to, her and her 12 boys, did you not? 13 A The whole family. I was, you know -- I was friendly 14 with all of them and a frequent guest in their home. 15 Q And would you stay overnight there -- 16 A No. I never stayed overnight there. 17 Q Would they stay at the rectory? 18 A No. They did not, no. 19 Q Okay. What happened there with that family? Did 20 something come to light that caused you to be moved 21 from that parish, or what? 22 A I think that it was another parishioner was concerned 23 about my involvement and took this to the -- to the 24 pastor. And his comment was that -- rather it was in 25 the form of a question, well, what did you do for Gramann Reporting, Ltd. (414) 272-7878 25 Sworn Statement of FRANKLYN BECKER, 8/7/06 1 this family? And in other words, he was supportive 2 of my association. 3 Q Okay. And the parishioner that brought this to the 4 pastor, first, who is the parishioner that brought it 5 to the pastor? 6 A Who was the parishioner? 7 Q Yes. 8 A I don't recall the name. I can't remember the name. 9 Q And it wasn't Marianne S. -- 10 A No -- 11 Q -- it was another parishioner? 12 A -- no. It was someone that was concerned about the 13 relationship. 14 Q Okay. And who is the pastor that this parishioner 15 complained to? 16 A Well, it was Father Ide. And then I think after he 17 left, the new pastor also became aware of the 18 relationship. 19 Q And who was that pastor? 20 A Father Robert McCormick. 21 Q Okay. And that's M-C -- 22 A M-C, capital C, O-R-M-I-C-K. 23 Q And is he still -- 24 A He -- 25 Q -- still alive? Gramann Reporting, Ltd. (414) 272-7878 26 Sworn Statement of FRANKLYN BECKER, 8/7/06 1 A -- is deceased also. 2 Q He's deceased, okay. And how do you know that what 3 Father Ide learned about this went to Father 4 McCormick? How do you know that? 5 A Because he approached me and -- and decided that 6 perhaps it would be better for -- for all concerned 7 if I were to move on to another assignment. 8 Q Okay. And of course Father McCormick, being the 9 pastor, didn't have control over the assignment of 10 you, the archbishop did? 11 A Well, as a new pastor I think they try to -- again, 12 it was not uncommon to change personnel when a new 13 pastor came on the scene. And he had someone else in 14 mind, I think, for his associate. 15 Q Okay. Well, when this information came to Father Ide 16 and then Father McCormick, you had only been at that 17 parish less than two years -- 18 A Right. 19 Q -- is that right? 20 A But it was a very -- a very troubled parish in that 21 they were trying to heal the wounds of the -- of the 22 previous -- you know, the removal of the former 23 pastor, and the church remained -- remained -- 24 remained divided for some time. 25 Q Okay. And so -- so you -- after -- after this Gramann Reporting, Ltd. (414) 272-7878 27 Sworn Statement of FRANKLYN BECKER, 8/7/06 1 information came to Father Ide and then Father 2 McCormick acknowledged to you what he knew about it, 3 were you moved shortly after that when -- 4 A I think -- I think it was in the spring. I can't 5 remember exactly when I went to St. Williams in 6 Waukesha, but that was the -- it would be on here. 7 It was -- I think -- I think I went there in June. 8 Most of the moves are effective in the spring. 9 Q Okay. 10 A Mm-hmm. 11 Q And so was it Father McCormick that said it would be 12 better for you to move out because of this 13 information? 14 A Well, I guess he just -- we apparently were not very 15 simpatico, in that I think he felt that he would 16 prefer working with someone else. 17 Q Okay. And what did you tell Marianne S. and her 18 family about why you were moved and transferred out 19 of that parish? 20 A Well, she was -- she was aware of it, and she 21 continued -- the friendship continued on. You know, 22 I think they felt badly when I moved. In fact 23 they -- they hosted a farewell party for -- a 24 farewell party for me, and I was not -- I was still 25 in good graces, you know, with the family. Gramann Reporting, Ltd. (414) 272-7878 28 Sworn Statement of FRANKLYN BECKER, 8/7/06 1 Q And you were then assigned to St. William in 2 Waukesha -- 3 A Right. 4 Q -- were you not? 5 A Correct. 6 Q And you continued to have a relationship with 7 Marianne Shultson -- excuse me, strike that last 8 part -- Marianne S. and her family as you served at 9 St. William? 10 A Yes. 11 Q Okay. And was Waukesha close to Whitefish Bay? 12 A Twenty minutes, 20 miles maybe. I'm not sure. 13 Q Okay. And so it looks like, according to the 14 records, you were at St. William in Waukesha for only 15 six or seven months. Why is that? 16 A Again, it was a very difficult assignment because 17 the -- the pastor really ran the show, and we were 18 not -- we were not compatible. 19 Q As far as you could tell, did the short term of that 20 assignment and your movement out of that St. William 21 parish have anything to do with your relationship to 22 the family and the -- and the complaint that had been 23 made before? 24 A I don't think there was any connection, no. 25 Q Okay. Gramann Reporting, Ltd. (414) 272-7878 29 Sworn Statement of FRANKLYN BECKER, 8/7/06 1 A No. Again, I opted to leave on my own. 2 Q Okay. And of course it was then the archbishop that 3 had responsibility for your transfer and movement. 4 How would that have happened if -- if after only six 5 or seven months you get moved? 6 A I was experiencing physical -- physical problems, 7 and -- and I just felt that I'm either going to get 8 an ulcer or I'm going to -- you know, have to get out 9 of here. 10 Q Okay. 11 A And so I just -- so I mean, I -- and I indicated to 12 the archbishop that I was interested in pursuing 13 campus ministry work. 14 Q At that time, in the mid-'70s now, in 1974 at 15 St. William, were you an openly gay priest then? 16 A No, I was not. 17 Q Tell me about that -- 18 A I don't think anybody could really be, you know, 19 because of the -- the opprobrium that would have been 20 attached to that kind of revelation. 21 Q Did you make it known to your colleagues that you 22 were gay? 23 A No, I did not. 24 Q You did not. 25 A No. Gramann Reporting, Ltd. (414) 272-7878 30 Sworn Statement of FRANKLYN BECKER, 8/7/06 1 Q Did you keep that to yourself? 2 A Pretty much so. Maybe several friends that were 3 aware, but I certainly was not -- I was not 4 proclaiming it from the pulpit. 5 Q When did you begin to share your orientation with 6 your colleagues and -- and your spiritual directors 7 and fellow priests, in private? 8 A I don't think I ever really -- really did, except 9 those who were knowledgeable, you know, who had known 10 me in the seminary and perhaps had the same 11 orientation. 12 Q Okay. And then from St. William you went to the 13 Marshall Catholic Community in Huntington, West 14 Virginia in -- it looks like January of '75 -- 15 A That's right. 16 Q -- does that sound right? 17 A That's right. 18 Q Tell me about that, Mr. Becker. 19 A I answered an ad in the National Catholic Reporter 20 where they were advertising for a campus ministry, a 21 person, and I went there for the interview, and I 22 was -- I was hired. And -- 23 Q And you were there for about a year and a half? 24 A About a year and a half I was there, right. And it 25 was kind of an interim assignment, because they had Gramann Reporting, Ltd. (414) 272-7878 31 Sworn Statement of FRANKLYN BECKER, 8/7/06 1 had someone else in mind who was not available at 2 that time. So I think I kind of got the position by 3 default and -- 4 Q And -- go ahead. 5 A -- and stayed there, you know, for the duration of 6 my -- you know, until the following -- the following 7 spring, I believe, when I left -- yes. It was July. 8 Q Yeah. July, August or something like that? 9 A Mm-hmm, mm-hmm. 10 Q And did you lose that position because at that time 11 you were making comments or advocating homosexual 12 rights? 13 A I think there was some concern, because I brought in 14 some outside speakers, and it led to some -- to 15 knowledge by the bishop that I was -- had had kind of 16 an outreach to the community, and -- 17 However, he -- when I left there, he 18 did offer me another assignment in West Virginia, 19 which I was not interested in at the time. But I did 20 have an offer from St. Louis U to take the position 21 there. 22 Q Okay. And when you did take a position at St. Louis 23 University in St. Louis, that of course had to be 24 with the permission and -- of the then presiding 25 archbishop, correct? Gramann Reporting, Ltd. (414) 272-7878 32 Sworn Statement of FRANKLYN BECKER, 8/7/06 1 A Yeah. It was Cardinal Carberry at the time. 2 Q Okay. 3 A Mm-hmm. 4 Q And that was Cardinal -- he was cardinal of St. 5 Louis? 6 A Of St. Louis, right. 7 Q Okay. And you were still a priest of the Archdiocese 8 in Milwaukee. 9 A Right. And I was -- so I was on loan to St. Louis. 10 Q And so then the presiding archbishop, then Cousins, 11 would have been the one that had given permission 12 then? 13 A Right. 14 Q Okay. And Archbishop Rembert Weakland, I think, was 15 installed in 1977; was that about right? 16 A I believe so. I was in -- I was in California at the 17 time -- 18 Q Okay. 19 A -- when he was -- because I still -- I still -- when 20 I went to California I was under the jurisdiction of 21 Bishop Cousins. 22 Q Okay. I'll ask you about that, but let's go to 23 St. Louis University in St. Louis and you had a 24 campus ministry there or were part of the campus 25 ministry team, correct? Gramann Reporting, Ltd. (414) 272-7878 33 Sworn Statement of FRANKLYN BECKER, 8/7/06 1 A Correct, mm-hmm. 2 Q Tell us about that. What was that? 3 A It was a large team headed by a Dominican priest, and 4 we had several sisters and several other priests. 5 And it was a -- it was kind of -- it was again, kind 6 of an experimental thing, because it was unusual for 7 a Dominican priest to be the chaplain at a Jesuit 8 university. 9 I had known the priest previously, and 10 he -- he took me on as -- you know, as part of the 11 team. However while I was there, he became aware of 12 the fact that I had established contact with a local 13 Dignity chapter, and he felt that was a violation of 14 our agreement, which I didn't understand. But as a 15 result of that, he, again, requested that I leave the 16 team. 17 Q What agreement did you have that he thought you had 18 violated? 19 A He apparently had made some comment in correspondence 20 saying that if I had any intention of coming out, so 21 to speak, they could not use me on the team. And I 22 did not feel that because I had established ties with 23 the Dignity chapter, this constituted coming out. 24 However he used that as a -- a reason for dismissing 25 me from the -- from the team. Gramann Reporting, Ltd. (414) 272-7878 34 Sworn Statement of FRANKLYN BECKER, 8/7/06 1 Q Okay. In -- in the documents that have been 2 requested, there's a document that has been withheld 3 as privileged, and it is dated June 23rd, 1976 from 4 Father Robert Sampon, S-A-M-P-O-N. And it's a memo 5 from Father Robert Sampon regarding Father Franklyn 6 Becker. And it's being withheld on the basis of 7 victim privacy. Do you know what this is referring 8 to? 9 A No, I honestly don't. I -- can you tell me the date 10 again? 11 Q Well, let me show you the privilege log here. And 12 showing you the privilege log, it says June 23rd, 13 '76. It's one page. The author is Father Robert 14 Sampon, and it's in your file. And it's a memo from 15 Robert Sampon regarding Father Franklyn Becker. And 16 then the -- the assertion or the reason is victim 17 privacy; do you know what that means? 18 A I don't -- I really -- I honestly don't know. In 19 that time I would have been in St. Louis, I think. 20 Or was I home from St. Louis then? I honestly don't 21 know what the content would have been. 22 Q Okay. Do you remember if Robert -- was Robert -- 23 what was Robert Sampon's title back then; do you 24 remember? 25 A Father Sampon was the chancellor of the diocese. Gramann Reporting, Ltd. (414) 272-7878 35 Sworn Statement of FRANKLYN BECKER, 8/7/06 1 Q Okay. And so -- so it was believed that you had 2 violated the agreement and -- by reason of your 3 affiliation with Dignity. What is Dignity? 4 A Dignity is a Catholic -- Catholic organization which 5 upholds the rights of -- of gay -- of gays. It's 6 a -- it was established in San Diego and had many -- 7 had branches in many -- many major cities. And 8 again, it -- it -- it was kind of an outreach to the 9 gay community who still wanted to be a part of the 10 Catholic church. 11 Q Okay. And then -- so is it correct that you were 12 then moved from St. Louis University and that campus 13 ministry because of your perceived violation of the 14 agreement? 15 A That was the excuse given. I mean, there was that 16 reason, and then the reason that they manufactured 17 was that my mother was ill and I had to return to my 18 home. 19 Q Was that a reason given to the students and the -- 20 A I think so, yes. 21 Q Okay. 22 A And I objected to that, because it wasn't -- it 23 wasn't honest. 24 Q Okay. And who manufactured that reason. 25 A The -- the head of the campus ministry team. Gramann Reporting, Ltd. (414) 272-7878 36 Sworn Statement of FRANKLYN BECKER, 8/7/06 1 Q Okay. Okay. And from there where did you go, and 2 what were the circumstances? 3 A I moved back to my mother's home, and I stayed with 4 her for -- this would have been for the winter, and 5 then I started exploring other -- other 6 possibilities. 7 Q Okay. And then how long after did you then get 8 assigned to California? 9 A Well, I -- I went there -- I -- let's see. I think I 10 went -- I have the dates on here when I went to 11 California. 12 Q Well -- 13 A I was home for about six months. 14 Q Okay. 15 A I think it was July of '77 that I went to California. 16 Q Looks like -- it looks like you were at St. Louis 17 University until November of '76? 18 A Right. And then I spent the winter -- I was home 19 with my mother, and I was, you know, seeking other -- 20 other possibilities. 21 Q I'm going to ask you some questions, Mr. Becker, 22 about the assignment as a priest to the Diocese of 23 San Diego. But before I do, I want to go back to 24 something in my notes that pertains to you and while 25 you were a priest at St. John -- St. John's for four Gramann Reporting, Ltd. (414) 272-7878 37 Sworn Statement of FRANKLYN BECKER, 8/7/06 1 years. 2 There's a note here that there was a 3 Jim S., and I'll write down his name, and then I'll 4 ask you a question. 5 A It's -- 6 Q And that's -- I'll refer to him as Jim S. 7 A That's -- well, that's -- okay. But his name begins 8 with an E. 9 Q Oh, excuse me. 10 A Mm-hmm. 11 Q Jim E. 12 A Mm-hmm. 13 Q I'm so sorry. 14 A Yeah. Mm-hmm. 15 Q Did I write that name correctly there? 16 A No, you did not. 17 Q Okay. You write the name as you understand it to be. 18 A Okay. 19 Q Okay. 20 A (Complying.) 21 Q Okay. You've now corrected that, and we'll call that 22 Jim E. and that's the same Jim E. that I had referred 23 to earlier as having been a youth -- 24 A Yes -- 25 Q -- there? Gramann Reporting, Ltd. (414) 272-7878 38 Sworn Statement of FRANKLYN BECKER, 8/7/06 1 A -- that's right, mm-hmm. 2 Q Did rumors surface, that you were aware, involving 3 you and his relationship to him? 4 A I'm not aware of any, no. 5 Q Okay. Let's go to the California assignment now. 6 How was it that a priest of the diocese in Milwaukee, 7 which you were in 1977, came to serve in the 8 Archdi -- excuse me, the diocese of San Diego? 9 A Well, the same way that I served in St. Louis and 10 Huntington. I was released by Archbishop Cousins to 11 pursue another assignment, and I sent a resume, and I 12 was hired. But I did not realize that I was entering 13 into a parish that had deep -- deep problems. 14 Q Okay. And did you seek that parish out or that -- 15 that location out because it was an active gay 16 community there? 17 A No, not that I was aware -- no. It sounded -- it 18 sounded like it was a -- a nice place to be. It was 19 a -- they described it as being three blocks from the 20 ocean. It was a -- you know, a beach parish. And 21 they had placed an ad in the National Catholic 22 Reporter and -- to which I responded and -- and I 23 was -- I was happy to be going there. 24 Q Okay. The parish you were assigned to then in San 25 Diego was St. Brigid, correct? Gramann Reporting, Ltd. (414) 272-7878 39 Sworn Statement of FRANKLYN BECKER, 8/7/06 1 A Correct. 2 Q And were you associate or assistant pastor there? 3 A I was associate. There was another priest there also 4 and -- 5 Q That was the pastor? 6 A The pastor and another associate. 7 Q Who was the pastor? 8 A Father Lloyd Bourgeois. 9 Q And that's spell B-O-U-R-G-E-O-I-S? 10 A Correct. 11 Q And it's pronounced Bourgeois? 12 A Correct. 13 Q And who was the other pastor? 14 A The associate was Father Ramone Marrufo. 15 Q Can you spell that one? 16 A M-A-R-R-U-F-O. 17 Q Okay. And you served at St. Brigid for how long 18 approximately? 19 A Well, I think -- I think I got there in July of '77, 20 and then I left there in '70 -- in the spring of '79. 21 Q Okay. And while there, some concerns were raised or 22 some problems arose. Tell us about that, Mr. Becker. 23 What happened? 24 A Well, my main concern was that the -- there was a 25 cover-up of the death of the previous pastor who Gramann Reporting, Ltd. (414) 272-7878 40 Sworn Statement of FRANKLYN BECKER, 8/7/06 1 apparently was involved in the misappropriation of 2 funds and also cocaine and alcohol addiction, and 3 there was talk about smoking marijuana on the roof 4 garden of the rectory, and him dying under very 5 unusual circumstances. 6 Q Who was that pastor? 7 A Monsignor Donald Doxie. 8 Q D-O-X? 9 A D-O-X-I-E. 10 Q And then did you -- did you raise a protest about 11 what was happening concerning him, or what? 12 A Not a protest, but there was much talk about the 13 goings-on in that -- in the rectory and during his 14 tenure. 15 And actually I was defending the new 16 pastor to a parishioner who was making comparisons 17 with the former pastor, and I said that if you knew 18 what had happened previously, you'd be happy to have 19 Father Bourgeois as pastor. 20 Q And while at St. Brigid you came to know a teenager 21 by the name of Nick J., did you not? 22 A Correct, mm-hmm. 23 Q Okay. And you brought with you today some -- oh, 24 cards and some notes that you prepared that pertain 25 to some of your affiliations with Nick J.; is that Gramann Reporting, Ltd. (414) 272-7878 41 Sworn Statement of FRANKLYN BECKER, 8/7/06 1 correct? 2 A That's correct. 3 Q And I just compiled those, made a copy if it, and 4 marked that as Exhibit B. 5 A Mm-hmm. 6 Q Why don't you just tell us what Exhibit B is 7 basically? 8 A Well, I have a daybook, and I kept track of some of 9 the things that I did while I was there, and I just 10 kind of zeroed in on the time that I spent with Nick. 11 He was one of three young men who 12 worked at the rectory when the parish secretary went 13 home. And I developed a friendship with several of 14 these boys, and I became friends of their family and 15 was a guest in their home, and also took them to, you 16 know, plays, movies, out to dinner on occasion. 17 Q Okay. And at this point in time that you developed 18 the friendships and the relationships with Nick and 19 these other boys, had you been under any restriction 20 in your ministry to youth at all? 21 A No. 22 Q Okay. 23 A Not at all. 24 Q And so the first two pages of Exhibit B seem to be 25 those notes that outline some reconstruction from Gramann Reporting, Ltd. (414) 272-7878 42 Sworn Statement of FRANKLYN BECKER, 8/7/06 1 your daybook, correct? 2 A Right. And some of the dates I'm not real clear on. 3 I remember one -- one occasion when my mother was 4 visiting, and I took -- and we drove down to Tijuana 5 for a day, and I took Nick along because I thought he 6 was knowledgeable in Spanish. And I recall that, you 7 know, we had -- ended up having lunch at the Hotel 8 Del Coronado. And I remember my mother and I being 9 dinner guests in their home, but I can't remember 10 the -- the dates on that. 11 Q Okay. In these -- go ahead. 12 A Go ahead, no. 13 Q Okay. In these materials there's also a newspaper 14 article of some kind that I may have mistakenly 15 attached to the materials pertaining to Nick. What 16 is the newspaper article? 17 A The article talks about Bishop Maher and how he 18 mishandled funds in the diocese. The diocese was 19 bereft with many scandals, which were later printed 20 up in the San Diego Union. And it was just an 21 indication of the climate of the -- of the parish 22 during the tenure of Bishop Maher. 23 Q Okay. I'm going to take that out of Exhibit B, and 24 separately mark that Exhibit D. 25 A Okay. Gramann Reporting, Ltd. (414) 272-7878 43 Sworn Statement of FRANKLYN BECKER, 8/7/06 1 Q And that's the newspaper article. You just brought 2 that with you? 3 A Yes, uh-huh. 4 Q Okay. 5 A I just happened to have it in my file. 6 Q And Bishop Maher is deceased or is he alive? 7 A He's deceased. 8 Q And was he then the presiding bishop while you served 9 at -- at St. Brigid? 10 A Yes. And there is conver -- there is -- what do you 11 call it -- correspondence in the -- the file, you 12 know, between myself and Bishop Maher, because it was 13 he who apparently made the decision to move me back 14 to Milwaukee. 15 Q Did he in effect kick you out of there? 16 A Well, I think you -- you might say so, but because of 17 the fact -- but not for the right reasons. It was 18 because of the fear of exposure of the cover-up. 19 Q Okay. And what were the reasons that were given for 20 having had you leave the diocese of San Diego? 21 A The only official thing I have is a letter dated 22 January 30th -- no. This is -- pardon me, it's a 23 letter from Bishop Maher to Bishop -- to Archbishop 24 Weakland saying that I was relieved of my duties in 25 19 -- in February of 1979. Gramann Reporting, Ltd. (414) 272-7878 44 Sworn Statement of FRANKLYN BECKER, 8/7/06 1 Q Okay. Okay. And you're referring now back to 2 Exhibit A, and that would be page 31? 3 A That's correct, mm-hmm. 4 Q What's marked -- we call that a Bates stamp. Have 5 you heard that term before -- 6 A Mm-hmm. Yes, I have. 7 Q Okay. We call that a Bates stamp, and that would be 8 marked 31. Looking at Exhibit 31 for a moment, 9 it's -- it's from then Bishop Maher to your bishop, 10 Bishop -- Archbishop Weakland, correct? 11 A Correct. 12 Q And February 5th, 1979, the first sentence says, 13 "Dear Archbishop Weakland, in response to your letter 14 of January 30th, 1979, I wish to inform you that 15 Father Franklyn Becker was relieved of his duties 16 here." 17 Do you know what that letter said that 18 he's referring to? I don't have it. 19 A Well, there's a letter to Bishop Maher from Bishop 20 Weakland in 19 -- January 30th, which preceded it. 21 Q Okay. And do you know what it said -- oh, here, it's 22 the next one, Exhibit 32 -- 23 A Mm-hmm. 24 Q -- that's what that letter refers to then. 25 A Apparently. Gramann Reporting, Ltd. (414) 272-7878 45 Sworn Statement of FRANKLYN BECKER, 8/7/06 1 Q Okay. Let's look at Exhibit -- page 32 then of 2 Exhibit A first, because that was out of order. 3 January 30th, '79, that's the letter to Maher from 4 Weakland, correct? 5 A From Maher to Weakland -- 6 Q Excuse me, from Weakland to Maher? 7 A Yeah. This is from Weakland to Maher. 8 Q Okay. So this one's Bates stamped 32. And in it 9 Archbishop Weakland writes to then Bishop Maher, 10 "Recently it was brought to my attention that Father 11 Franklyn Becker will be returning to the Archdiocese 12 of Milwaukee." He writes, "I felt it would be 13 helpful to write to you a personal and confidential 14 letter to see if there is anything that you feel I 15 should know as he returns here to this diocese." It 16 then says, "It would be helpful if I could get some 17 idea of his conduct while he was with you, and if 18 there is some reason why he is now returning to 19 Milwaukee." 20 Do you know what is being referred to 21 by the conduct? 22 A No, I don't. See, apparently there was a letter 23 written by Father Bourgeois to the personnel board 24 explaining my return, and I never -- I don't have a 25 copy of that letter. Gramann Reporting, Ltd. (414) 272-7878 46 Sworn Statement of FRANKLYN BECKER, 8/7/06 1 Q Okay. 2 A I believe that was addressed to Paul Esser. 3 Q And did the -- did that letter by -- by Father 4 Bourgeois, addressed to the personnel board, raise 5 concerns about your relationship to a youth or youth 6 in -- 7 A I have no idea. 8 Q Okay. You haven't seen that letter? 9 A I have not seen that letter. 10 Q Okay. Let's look at the Becker Exhibit 31 then, 11 which is the letter from Bishop Maher to Weakland 12 responding to what is page 32. 13 And this one at the last sentence 14 says, "No doubt there are psychological problems in 15 Father Franklyn Becker's life that he must solve." 16 Now, what -- have you seen this letter 17 before, by the way? 18 A No. I've never seen this letter before. 19 Q Okay. Thinking back to this time, what -- do you 20 know what Bishop Maher is referring to when he says 21 to Bishop Weakland, your archbishop, that there are 22 psychological problems? 23 A All I can think of was that he was aware of, you 24 know, the cover-up, and that I was -- I was unhappy 25 when I was being dismissed, and I sought legal -- Gramann Reporting, Ltd. (414) 272-7878 47 Sworn Statement of FRANKLYN BECKER, 8/7/06 1 legal help to be compensated for my -- for the 2 termination of my -- my ministry there. But I mean 3 that's -- see, there's -- there's some lacunae there 4 which I'm not clear of. 5 Q Okay. Look at page -- 6 MR. FINNEGAN: We have two minutes on this 7 tape. 8 MR. ANDERSON: Okay. 9 Q Look at page 33. This is on St. Brigid stationery -- 10 A Mm-hmm. 11 Q -- January 18th, 1979. I'm going to have you take 12 a -- take a look at that, and then we'll go off the 13 tape and take a break while you do. 14 A Okay. Fine. 15 MR. FINNEGAN: What time is it, Jeff? 16 MR. ANDERSON: It is 1:45. 17 (A recess was taken.) 18 BY MR. ANDERSON: 19 Q Okay. We're back on the record here now, Mr. Becker. 20 And I'm directing your attention to page 33 here. 21 This is a letter actually typed by you, sent then to 22 Bishop Maher, right? 23 A Yes, mm-hmm. 24 Q And at the fourth paragraph down, I'm going to read 25 it and then ask you a question. It says, "Again, I Gramann Reporting, Ltd. (414) 272-7878 48 Sworn Statement of FRANKLYN BECKER, 8/7/06 1 regret that my ministry in San Diego is coming to an 2 end. I had hoped that it would be the beginning of a 3 new life for me. Had you given me the opportunity, I 4 would have been completely honest with you regarding 5 all areas of my life." 6 Did you write that to the bishop? 7 A Well, yes. That's a copy of the letter, mm-hmm. 8 Q Okay. My question to you is, if -- if Bishop Maher 9 had asked you about your relationship sexually and 10 otherwise to Nick J. and other males, would you have 11 been honest with him then? 12 A That's hard -- that's hard to answer. I -- I think 13 what I was referring to was my involvement with the 14 Dignity organization. 15 Q Okay. 16 A And I think that's primarily what I had in mind. 17 Q When you wrote this? 18 A Right, right. Or my -- you know, my concern for 19 disenfranchised people. 20 Q Did your -- did your termination or a removal from 21 San Diego have to do with your relationship with 22 youth? 23 A No, not that I was aware. I don't know whether -- 24 whether the -- any complaints were made at that time, 25 that I'm aware of. But I -- but I do know that there Gramann Reporting, Ltd. (414) 272-7878 49 Sworn Statement of FRANKLYN BECKER, 8/7/06 1 were -- there was concern about protecting the 2 reputation of the -- of the parish, of the -- 3 Q If -- what do you mean by that? 4 A Well, the case about Monsignor Doxie which was being 5 covered up, and I think there was -- there was great 6 fear that that story would get out. 7 Q And if Bishop Maher had asked you about your 8 relationship to Nick J. and the other youth to whom 9 you'd become close while at St. Brigid's, would you 10 have told him of your sexual activity? 11 A I don't recall -- that's presuming something that 12 would -- that did not exist at the time. I had 13 friendships, you know, with a number -- number of 14 people in the parish. 15 Q Okay. 16 A But when you put it in those words, I would -- I 17 would deny. 18 Q Okay. Okay. This letter is dated January 18th, 19 1979, and then the next page in the -- in this 20 exhibit is page 36. And you'll see it actually 21 predates this letter, but it's the way it was 22 produced to us, so it's -- I don't know, it's just 23 out of order. 24 A Mm-hmm. 25 Q But I'll direct your attention to page 36. That's Gramann Reporting, Ltd. (414) 272-7878 50 Sworn Statement of FRANKLYN BECKER, 8/7/06 1 dated April 16th, 1978. And this is from you again 2 to Bishop Maher that precedes what was marked page 3 33, correct? 4 A Yes. 5 Q And what are the circumstances of this letter; do you 6 remember? 7 A I'm not sure. I've just been reading it myself, so I 8 can -- 9 Q Okay. 10 A (Reviewing document.) Okay. I think -- see, 11 apparently the -- Father Marrufo was being 12 transferred, or else -- 13 Q Okay. 14 A -- or else Father -- when this Father Bonjean was 15 coming in. 16 Q Okay. Well, let me ask you this. The first sentence 17 of the second paragraph begins, "As you know, I came 18 into the diocese via the back door." What were you 19 referring to? 20 A Well, the ad in the National Catholic Reporter, that 21 is not the normal way in which a parish is staffed. 22 Q Oh. 23 A Usually it's staffed by the diocese who would -- and 24 for some reason they would not send another associate 25 pastor and -- Gramann Reporting, Ltd. (414) 272-7878 51 Sworn Statement of FRANKLYN BECKER, 8/7/06 1 And apparently Father Bourgeois and 2 Father Marrufo decided to place the ad, you know -- 3 which I thought was rather unusual. 4 Q Okay. 5 A And I don't think that Bishop Maher was real happy 6 with that arrangement. 7 Q Okay. The next exhibit is page 35, and that's a 8 letter dated April 24th, '78, which would be about a 9 week after the last. 10 A Mm-hmm. 11 Q Eight days. And this is a letter to you from then 12 Monsignor Cooney, C-O-O-N-E-Y, correct? 13 A Yes. 14 Q And it says, "Dear Frank" -- it says, "Bishop Leo T. 15 Maher has asked me to reply to your letter of 16 April 16, 1978. The bishop is leaving on a 17 confirmation tour in the northern part of the 18 diocese. He asked me to do the most difficult task 19 that it is my obligation to do since assuming this 20 position, that of refusing your request to remain in 21 the diocese." 22 So at that time you wanted to stay, 23 but they wouldn't let you, right? 24 A Apparently, mm-hmm. 25 Q Okay. Gramann Reporting, Ltd. (414) 272-7878 52 Sworn Statement of FRANKLYN BECKER, 8/7/06 1 A Apparently, as I recall, there was a period while I 2 was there when there was discussion of my leaving, 3 and then I guess they reconsidered, and I stayed on 4 longer than what the -- what the initial -- than was 5 originally planned. 6 Q Okay. 7 A So -- 8 Q The next exhibit is -- is stamped AG003; do you see 9 that? 10 A I do. 11 Q And that's investigation. There's 04 and 05, and 12 you -- you had a chance to briefly take a look at 13 those -- 14 A Mm-hmm. 15 Q -- but you haven't read them thoroughly, have you? 16 A No, I have not, no. 17 Q At the second page there's a -- there's a referred -- 18 referral here to Father Bourgeois, who you mentioned, 19 Father Doxie who you mentioned. But the second 20 page -- or third page there's a reference to Father 21 Peter Escalante, E-S-C-A-L-A-N-T-E. Who is he then? 22 A Peter Escalante, I think, was the pastor at the 23 parish. 24 Q At St. Brigid? 25 A Yes, uh-huh. Gramann Reporting, Ltd. (414) 272-7878 53 Sworn Statement of FRANKLYN BECKER, 8/7/06 1 Q Okay. Okay. And to your knowledge, did Father 2 Escalante, Father Bourgeois or any other of the -- 3 your colleagues, clerical colleagues, have concerns 4 about your relationship to Nick J. or other youth? 5 A Not that I was aware of, no. 6 Q Okay. I'd like to turn to what happened then after 7 you left San Diego and St. Brigid. Where did you go? 8 A The housekeeper or the cook had an apartment and she 9 said that I could stay at it until I could make 10 arrangements to go back to Milwaukee. So I stayed at 11 her apartment while I was -- for -- I'm not sure the 12 length of time. 13 But it was during that period that 14 Nick wanted to know whether he could use the 15 apartment while I was going somewhere else -- and I 16 don't know how this came about -- but anyway, I 17 returned to the apartment and found that he had -- he 18 had a sailor in bed with him. 19 Q Okay. And there is some indication somewhere that 20 the parishioners are told at St. Brigid's that you 21 had left because of a financial situation. What -- 22 what does that refer to? 23 A Could you repeat that, please? 24 Q There's some indication that the parishioners at St. 25 Brigid's in San Diego were told that your departure Gramann Reporting, Ltd. (414) 272-7878 54 Sworn Statement of FRANKLYN BECKER, 8/7/06 1 was because of a financial situation of some kind. 2 Do you know anything about that? 3 A I don't know anything about that. 4 Q What were they told why you left? 5 A I'm not sure. 6 Q What -- what was the reason that you were under -- 7 led to believe as to why you left St. Brigid's? 8 A The fear that I would expose the cover-up of the 9 previous administration. 10 Q Got it. 11 A And while we're on exhibit -- the exhibit, there 12 are -- there are many fallacies in this report. 13 Q Yeah. You had indicated that to me -- 14 A Many, many, many fallacies. 15 Q We haven't had time to go through that -- 16 A Mm-hmm. 17 Q -- and discuss that -- 18 A Mm-hmm. 19 Q -- and one of our -- one of our understandings was, I 20 wasn't going to ask you details of -- 21 A Mm-hmm. 22 Q -- both allegations or accusations in detail of -- of 23 claims of sexual abuse; is that correct? 24 A Because this is -- this is definitely a fabrication 25 on the part of N.J. Gramann Reporting, Ltd. (414) 272-7878 55 Sworn Statement of FRANKLYN BECKER, 8/7/06 1 Q Okay. The next assignment then that you had was back 2 in Milwaukee at St. Margaret, correct? 3 A When I returned to Milwaukee, I went to -- 1980. I 4 was in residence at a rectory in Delavan until the 5 Margaret Mary assignment was open. 6 Q And while you were in residence in Delavan, were you 7 in any way restricted in your ministry to youth? 8 A No. I really -- I really was not, no. I was a 9 friend of the pastor, and we had an -- oh, amicable 10 relationship, and -- 11 Q At that point in time had your current archbishop, 12 Weakland, or his predecessor, Cousins, ever inquired 13 of you of your sexual history while serving as a 14 priest of the dioceses? 15 A No. I can't recall that they had. 16 Q Okay. And then according to the records, it looks 17 like in 1980 you're sent to St. Margaret in 18 Milwaukee, correct? 19 A Margaret Mary, yes. 20 Q Excuse me, okay, St. Margaret Mary. And there 21 there's some indication that there were -- a report 22 from two parishioners, and there's reference to an 23 unfortunate incident that led to treatment. What do 24 you know about that? 25 A I don't. Gramann Reporting, Ltd. (414) 272-7878 56 Sworn Statement of FRANKLYN BECKER, 8/7/06 1 Q Okay. While at St. Margaret Mary do you have any 2 recollection of some -- some report having been made 3 about you or some concerns being raised concerning 4 your relationship with the youth? 5 A If it was during that period that I did the Journal 6 Sentinel interview. 7 Q Okay. In a record that I have had, but I don't have 8 immediately available, there's a note of some kind, 9 Mr. Becker, that says in February of 1980, the 10 Archdiocese received a report from two parishioners 11 that Father Franklyn Becker had an unfortunate 12 incident with a teenage boy at St. Margaret Mary 13 Church. Do you know what that would be referring to? 14 A I think I do, yes. 15 Q Okay. It goes on to say in February of 1980, 16 Archdiocese sent Franklyn Becker to therapy because 17 of the unfortunate incident. Why don't you tell us 18 about the unfortunate incident. What happened? 19 A It was a -- a friendship with one of the young men in 20 the parish and with whom I shared my orientation, and 21 he became quite upset, and he could not deal with it. 22 And the reason I shared it with him is 23 because he had had a previous experience with someone 24 who he caddied for on a golf course. And apparently 25 he said he -- this person took him back to his Gramann Reporting, Ltd. (414) 272-7878 57 Sworn Statement of FRANKLYN BECKER, 8/7/06 1 apartment, and he ended up slugging the guy. And I 2 guess I tried to assure him that not all gay people, 3 you know, acted in that fashion. 4 Q Okay. 5 A You know, but he was unable -- he was apparently 6 unable to process this. And as a result, I left -- 7 the pastor decided it would be better if I left the 8 parish. 9 Q Okay. What pastor was that? 10 A That was Father Raymond Vint. 11 Q Okay. 12 A But I also had an associate -- I was stationed with a 13 classmate of mine who also had a predilection for 14 teenage boys. 15 Q In the privilege log that the Archdiocese of 16 Milwaukee has produced to us, it says here in 19 -- 17 in December 1, 1981, the vicar for priest personnel, 18 there's a memo from the vicar for priest personnel 19 outlining information given to him by Attorney Joseph 20 Dean. 21 Did you then have a Joseph Dean as an 22 attorney? 23 A No. He was -- I think he was an attorney for the 24 Archdiocese. 25 Q Oh, do you know what this memo refers to? Gramann Reporting, Ltd. (414) 272-7878 58 Sworn Statement of FRANKLYN BECKER, 8/7/06 1 A No, I don't know. I really don't know. 2 Q Okay. Okay. In 1981, that was after you had left 3 St. Margaret Mary? 4 A Mm-hmm. 5 Q Correct? 6 A What was the date on that? 7 Q This one is 12/1/81. 8 A Yeah. Because I went to John -- I went to South 9 Milwaukee I think in December, December 8th, so I was 10 probably between assignments at that time. 11 Q Okay. And were you sent to treatment by the 12 Archdiocese for evaluation? 13 A I think I talked to Peter earlier. I had the 14 sessions with -- 15 Q Now, wait a minute. I think before we talk about 16 this, I want to just advise you. We started this 17 deposition or this statement by advising you that you 18 had a right to a lawyer. You also have certain 19 privileges. And I told you about this off the 20 record, but I wanted to tell you this on the record. 21 One is a medical privilege, and that is a 22 privilege -- 23 A Mm-hmm, mm-hmm. 24 Q -- that runs between you and a health care provider; 25 that is, a doctor, a psychologist, a medical provider Gramann Reporting, Ltd. (414) 272-7878 59 Sworn Statement of FRANKLYN BECKER, 8/7/06 1 or a health care provider. Do you understand that? 2 A Yes, I do. 3 Q Okay. Now, I'm going to be asking you some questions 4 about the Archdiocese having sent you to therapy or 5 treatment. And before I ask about that, if the 6 Archdiocese sent you to treatment, I'm going to ask 7 you first, did -- did you give permission to the 8 Archdiocese to talk to your therapist at the time 9 that they sent you for evaluation and treatment? 10 A I'm not sure. I mean, I don't recall signing 11 anything. 12 MR. FINNEGAN: Mr. Becker, can you just 13 take your hands down? 14 THE WITNESS: Oh, I'm sorry. 15 MR. FINNEGAN: No problem. 16 THE WITNESS: I can't recall signing any 17 paper at that time. 18 BY MR. ANDERSON: 19 Q Okay. Well, I can't determine whether a privilege 20 exists as we speak here, Mr. Becker, but the 21 privilege is yours. And are you prepared to waive 22 your privilege and talk about the treatment you 23 received and/or the evaluations that were done of you 24 at that time? 25 A I don't think they would be pertinent, you know, to Gramann Reporting, Ltd. (414) 272-7878 60 Sworn Statement of FRANKLYN BECKER, 8/7/06 1 the case. 2 Q Okay. Well, I'm not going to ask you to waive that. 3 I'm just asking -- I'm asking if you -- if I ask the 4 question, do you choose to waive it, or do you choose 5 to assert it? If you choose to assert it, I won't 6 ask you -- 7 A Okay. I choose to assert the privilege -- 8 Q Okay. Then I'll -- 9 A -- because it's privileged communication between -- 10 Q It is privileged communication. 11 A -- between myself and the therapist. 12 Q And unless -- and there are circumstances where you 13 waived that as to the employer, the Archdiocese. As 14 you sit here today, do you remember having waived it 15 or let -- given the Archdiocese access to your 16 medical records or therapy records? 17 A Later on. I don't recall from that period. 18 Q Okay. What do you remember about having waived it or 19 given the Archdiocese access -- 20 A Well, I recall signing some papers when I was under 21 the care of Dr. Marlene Trachsel. 22 Q Okay. 23 A I think that may be in the log. 24 Q Okay. And was that -- okay. In the log there is a 25 reference to a letter to a Dr. Richard Zimmerman from Gramann Reporting, Ltd. (414) 272-7878 61 Sworn Statement of FRANKLYN BECKER, 8/7/06 1 Reverend Joseph Janicki, J-A-N-I-C-K-I. Who is 2 Father Janicki? 3 A Father Janicki was the vicar for clergy. 4 Q And did you give permission for him to communicate 5 with Richard Zimmerman? 6 A I may have. I don't recall. 7 Q Okay. 8 A I think I only had one or two sessions with him -- 9 Q Okay. And in the log in 1983 there's a reference 10 here to Rosalie A.; do you see the name? 11 A Yes, I do. 12 Q Okay. 13 A Mm-hmm. 14 Q And then it says a letter to Reverend Janicki from 15 Rosalie A. 16 A Mm-hmm. 17 Q Did you know her son and have some kind of 18 relationship -- 19 A Sure. She had -- she had three sons. 20 Q Okay. 21 A Sure. I was a friend of the family. 22 Q Okay. And do you know what the contents of this 23 letter are and pertain to? 24 A No, I don't. 25 Q Okay. Were you aware that concerns were raised about Gramann Reporting, Ltd. (414) 272-7878 62 Sworn Statement of FRANKLYN BECKER, 8/7/06 1 your relationship to at least one of the sons of 2 Rosalie A.? 3 A I wasn't aware at the time. 4 Q Okay. 5 A But I am now. 6 Q Okay. How did you learn of that? 7 A Well, because -- from the log. 8 Q Okay. And the next entry here is 5/25/83, and it 9 refers to a Dan, no last name, a letter to Dan from 10 Father Franklyn Becker. 11 A Mm-hmm. 12 Q In this case there's a claim of victim privacy as 13 there is in the one pertaining to Rosalie A. 14 A Mm-hmm. 15 Q Do you know who this Dan is? I don't want you to use 16 the name, but I want you to -- 17 A No. I presume it would be the -- the -- one of the 18 sons. 19 Q Okay. Okay. 20 A But I was not aware of any letter. 21 Q And then there's -- the next -- in the privacy log a 22 letter to Dr. John Dooley from Reverend Janicki. Do 23 you know who John Dooley is? 24 A No, I really don't. 25 Q Okay. And then on the next page at three of the Gramann Reporting, Ltd. (414) 272-7878 63 Sworn Statement of FRANKLYN BECKER, 8/7/06 1 privilege log there's a Milo Durst and a letter to 2 Reverend Janicki from Dr. Milo Durst. Do you 3 remember -- 4 A Yes. I had a number of sessions with Dr. Durst. 5 Q And did you give permission for the Archdiocese to 6 speak with or communicate with Dr. Durst? 7 A I think as the letter was written, they were 8 suggesting an assignment for me as a chaplain to a 9 convent, and I think Dr. Durst did not feel that was 10 a good assignment. 11 Q Okay. And if I -- if I ask you why that is, are you 12 prepared to answer that, because you may be waiving 13 that privilege if you do. 14 A Why -- 15 Q Well, let me ask you this. Do you -- do you want me 16 to refrain from asking any questions about your 17 medical treatment at this time? 18 A Yes, I really do, please. 19 Q Okay. I will not then. In the privilege log there 20 is in 1993 a letter to a Michael -- and let me refer 21 you to the last name there. We'll call him Michael 22 B. -- 23 A Yes. 24 Q -- from Reverend R. Thomas Venne, V-E-N-N-E -- 25 A Yes, yes. He was a vicar. Gramann Reporting, Ltd. (414) 272-7878 64 Sworn Statement of FRANKLYN BECKER, 8/7/06 1 Q -- okay? And who is Michael B., and what had your 2 relationship to him been? 3 A He was a young -- young man that I kind of 4 befriended. He'd been in a religious community and 5 had come out -- he was a troubled -- a troubled youth 6 over the age of 21. 7 Q Okay. Okay. Okay. And in the privilege log at page 8 seven, there's a letter to a Father Carol from Father 9 Becker. And did Father Carol accompany you to St. 10 Louis? 11 A That's right, yes. 12 Q And did he sit in on the evaluation that was done 13 there? 14 A Yes, he did. 15 Q And Father Carol was then the vicar for clergy for 16 the Archdiocese of Milwaukee? 17 A That's right. 18 Q And at that time Bishop Skilba was involved as well 19 as Weakland? 20 A As auxiliary bishop, I would imagine. 21 Q Okay. There's also a psychological assessment of you 22 done by a Marlene Trachsel? 23 A Trachsel, yes. 24 Q Trachsel. Do you understand that your medical 25 privilege between you and her, if one existed, was Gramann Reporting, Ltd. (414) 272-7878 65 Sworn Statement of FRANKLYN BECKER, 8/7/06 1 waived, and you gave consent to the Archdiocese to 2 either speak with her or look at her reports? 3 A I believe so. 4 Q Okay. At the privilege log at nine, there is in 5 June 17th of '02, under -- under this notation here, 6 you'll see there's a Michael, and you can see the 7 last name here. We'll call him Michael W. for this 8 inquiry. 9 A Yes. 10 Q And do you see that name? 11 A Yes. 12 Q Do you recognize that name? 13 A Yes, I do. 14 Q Was that a boy who was at Holy -- at Holy Assumption? 15 A Yes. 16 Q While you served there? 17 A Yes. 18 Q Okay. And it says this is the sexual abuse intake 19 report, and it's being withheld because of victim 20 privacy. Do you know anything about this? 21 A No, I don't. 22 Q Okay. Okay. After St. Margaret Mary in Milwaukee, 23 you were assigned where next? It looks like in 1981 24 you're awaiting assignment, according to records. Is 25 there -- Gramann Reporting, Ltd. (414) 272-7878 66 Sworn Statement of FRANKLYN BECKER, 8/7/06 1 A Right. I was living in an apartment, and I was 2 doing -- I had helped out in several parishes in 3 that -- in that interim. 4 Q And I might have asked you this, but this Joe Dean, 5 this attorney Joe Dean, he was not your lawyer? 6 A No, he was not. 7 Q And who -- 8 A I believe he was an attorney for the Archdiocese. 9 Q Okay. And did you ever meet with him? 10 A No. Not that I recall, no. 11 Q Do you know what his involvement in your assignment 12 or your work as a priest was? 13 A I have no idea. 14 Q Okay. According to the records, you were at 15 St. John's in South Milwaukee then in 1982; is that 16 correct? 17 A That's correct. 18 Q And is that when a newspaper article was written in 19 which you were heavily quoted? 20 A Well, again, I -- that preceded -- the investigation 21 started much earlier, but I think it maybe was 22 published in that period. 23 Q Okay. And what -- 24 THE WITNESS: What's the date on that? 25 MR. FINNEGAN: Its '81, June 4th, '81. Gramann Reporting, Ltd. (414) 272-7878 67 Sworn Statement of FRANKLYN BECKER, 8/7/06 1 BY MR. ANDERSON: 2 Q Oh, okay. I'm going to mark that newspaper article, 3 and it's been marked up a little bit. We'll just 4 mark that Exhibit E. And is this a -- 5 MR. FINNEGAN: Let me see the second one. 6 I think it's all the same. 7 MR. ANDERSON: Okay. 8 Q -- two excerpts from a newspaper article that 9 appeared in -- looks like June of '81? 10 A Yeah. See, it was a compilation of different 11 stories, you know, with no names given. 12 Q I see. 13 A And again, they did an in-depth, six-part series, and 14 this -- I'm not sure which part of this -- if this 15 was toward the end or when -- when it was, because it 16 ran, you know, in about six different days. 17 Q Okay. And while serving at St. John's in 1982, was 18 it there that you came to know one of the 19 parishioners and the youth in the parish who we've 20 identified as Chuck L.? 21 A I got to know him when I was filling in at a parish 22 prior to the St. John assignment. 23 Q Oh, you did. When did you come to know him? 24 A I would say -- oh my, probably in 1980. 25 Q Okay. And how old was he then? Gramann Reporting, Ltd. (414) 272-7878 68 Sworn Statement of FRANKLYN BECKER, 8/7/06 1 A I don't recall. 2 Q Okay. 3 A But -- but I lost track of him until -- till I was at 4 St. John's, and then he came -- he paid me a visit. 5 Q Okay. 6 A Mm-hmm. 7 Q And so your affiliation and relationship with him 8 began prior to your assignment to St. John's, but 9 then you spent some time with him after you were 10 assigned to St. John's in South Milwaukee. 11 A Right. He came to visit me. 12 Q I see. 13 A Mm-hmm. 14 Q Okay. And while at St. John's, to your knowledge, 15 were there reports and/or concerns raised about your 16 relationship to youth by parents? 17 A I believe there was one occasion, yes. 18 Q Tell me about that. What happened? 19 A I think I had taken a boy out on a -- took him 20 swimming at the Y or somewhere like that. And there 21 was some horseplay in the water, and I think he 22 thought -- you know, he told his mother about it, and 23 I was called on the carpet for that. 24 Q And who called you on the carpet? 25 A That was a meeting with, I think, Father Janicki and Gramann Reporting, Ltd. (414) 272-7878 69 Sworn Statement of FRANKLYN BECKER, 8/7/06 1 the pastor. 2 Q And Father Janicki was then the vicar for clergy -- 3 A Right, uh-huh. 4 Q And the archbishop was then Weakland? 5 A Yes, mm-hmm. 6 Q And did you ever speak with or meet directly with 7 Weakland? 8 A Not on that subject, no. I met with the parents and 9 the -- and the -- I think, Father Janicki and the 10 pastor. 11 Q And what came of that incident, I mean -- 12 A Nothing. 13 Q Okay. 14 A Nothing. It was -- it was -- they decided it was an 15 overreaction. 16 Q Who overreacted? 17 A Probably the boy and the parents. 18 Q How old was the boy at the time of the incident? 19 A I don't recall -- well, I -- he later went to the 20 seminary. I'm not sure. Eighth grade, maybe. 21 Q Okay. 22 A High school -- I can't recall. 23 Q At any time up until that time, or had -- at the time 24 of this incident was there any discussion of police 25 involvement? Gramann Reporting, Ltd. (414) 272-7878 70 Sworn Statement of FRANKLYN BECKER, 8/7/06 1 A No. 2 Q You served at St. John's in South Milwaukee from 1982 3 to 1985 where you were then assigned to West Allis 4 Memorial Hospital -- 5 A Was it that long? I don't think I was there that 6 long. 7 Q My records could be incorrect. But how long do you 8 recall having served at St. John's? 9 A I think I went into chaplain training in '84. 10 Q Okay. And -- 11 A Prior to that -- no, prior to that -- no. I was only 12 there -- I wasn't there that long. Maybe two years. 13 Q And the name of the boy and the parents with whom -- 14 about whom you had a meeting with Father Janicki, why 15 don't you write on Exhibit F the name of that -- that 16 youth or his parents, or both, if you know. 17 A (Complying.) 18 MR. FINNEGAN: About half an hour. 19 MR. ANDERSON: We're fine. 20 Q Thank you. And do you have and/or recall the name of 21 the mom or dad that were involved? 22 A Well, his parents. 23 Q Why don't you write their names. 24 A (Complying.) But there were never any charges or 25 anything like that. Gramann Reporting, Ltd. (414) 272-7878 71 Sworn Statement of FRANKLYN BECKER, 8/7/06 1 Q While at St. John's in South Milwaukee, any other 2 incidents like that, where there was reports, 3 suspicions or complaints concerning you and youth? 4 A Not that I'm aware of. 5 Q Okay. So why were you removed from St. John's to 6 West Allis Memorial Hospital? 7 A Again, there was a pastoral change, and they decided 8 to put a team of priests in -- the former pastor 9 left, and -- I'm trying to remember the 10 circumstances. 11 Q Okay. 12 A I think it was during that period that it was 13 suggested that I maybe seek an assignment outside of 14 a parish assignment, and then it was decided that I 15 take clinical pastoral education, which I did, at 16 St. Joseph's Hospital. 17 Q Who suggested that? 18 A That was the -- that was the -- I'm sure it came from 19 the diocese. I think -- it was after the Wausau 20 evaluation that they decided it would maybe be better 21 if I would go into a non-parochial setting. 22 Q Okay. 23 A So I took -- so I lived in a -- what do you call 24 it -- a transitional apartment for priests, and 25 meanwhile was taking clinical pastoral education and Gramann Reporting, Ltd. (414) 272-7878 72 Sworn Statement of FRANKLYN BECKER, 8/7/06 1 serving as auxiliary chaplain at St. Joseph's 2 Hospital. 3 Q Okay. The records seem to reflect that in 1985 you 4 were assigned to West Allis Memorial Hospital. And 5 then how long did you get assigned -- serve there? 6 A I was there eight years. 7 Q And then in 1992, the records seem to reflect you 8 were awaiting assignment. 9 A Mm-hmm. 10 Q What happened that caused you to go from an 11 assignment to a status identified as a waiting 12 assignment? 13 A There was an unfounded allegation. 14 Q By whom? Don't use the name. Write it down here on 15 Exhibit F. 16 A I can't even remember the name of the person. It was 17 a case of -- of a young man that I visited, and 18 gave -- and put on -- gave him a prayer book from -- 19 that was compiled by another hospital. The mother 20 apparently thought I was stalking him. And it was 21 right after there had been an article in the paper on 22 another priest. 23 But I got a call from Bishop Skilba, 24 and he was -- it was in '92 when all this was started 25 to hit -- hit the fan. And I guess that's when they Gramann Reporting, Ltd. (414) 272-7878 73 Sworn Statement of FRANKLYN BECKER, 8/7/06 1 decided that, you know, this was too risky for me to 2 continue -- 3 Q And -- 4 A -- but it was really an unfounded allegation. 5 Q And so you were placed on -- without assignment at 6 that time? 7 A Right. 8 Q And then the next year you were assigned to 9 St. Mary's in Cascade, were you not? 10 A I wasn't really assigned there. I was -- I was asked 11 to -- to do the Sunday -- Sunday liturgies, and it 12 was much more convenient for me to live in the 13 rectory rather than commute. So I ended up living 14 there, and I did all the parish work and stayed 15 there, until Father Tom Trepanier felt that it was 16 not advisable. 17 And there was an objection to the fact 18 that I had listed myself as being in residence. And 19 he said that this was not -- that I was not in 20 residence, you know, that apparently they were -- at 21 that point they were very reluctant to give me an 22 assignment. They were willing to have me fill in at 23 various places, but I did not have an official 24 assignment. 25 Q And so Father Trepanier raised some concerns about Gramann Reporting, Ltd. (414) 272-7878 74 Sworn Statement of FRANKLYN BECKER, 8/7/06 1 your -- your having been, at least publicly assigned 2 there. What was the source of the concern? 3 A Well, the fact that they -- when they published the 4 directory, I guess I had sent in a page, and I just 5 said in residence at St. Mary's parish. And he 6 countered it saying you are not in residence. Well, 7 I don't know what you would call it. I was living 8 there, and I was doing all the work. But I was 9 not -- but apparently that would give -- that would 10 sound like an official assignment. 11 Q So you were doing all the work of a minister -- 12 A Mm-hmm. 13 Q -- in a parish -- 14 A Right. 15 Q -- such as administering the sacraments, instructing 16 the altar boys and doing all the other things that a 17 priest does in a parish? 18 A Right. 19 Q And they were concerned that you were holding 20 yourself out as a priest, when in fact they didn't 21 want you to -- to do that, or what? 22 A Oh, no, they wanted me there. I mean, they were fine 23 that I was doing help-out work, but they didn't want 24 the -- the -- to have me listed as in residence at 25 the -- this was when he was sifting through files. Gramann Reporting, Ltd. (414) 272-7878 75 Sworn Statement of FRANKLYN BECKER, 8/7/06 1 He was in hot water himself. 2 Q Who's he? 3 A Tom Trepanier. 4 Q Okay. I see. 5 A See, he's been -- I think he's laicized. I think 6 he's -- he's left the ministry. But anyway, he had 7 the position of -- of -- of vicar -- not vicar. He 8 was head of the placement board. 9 Q I see. 10 A And was on -- was really on -- did not like the 11 listing, you know, and really faulted me for listing 12 myself in that capacity. 13 Q And then later on, it shows in 1980 -- '94 you were 14 waiting assignment and the next year you were on 15 leave. Tell me what happened. 16 A '94? See, I moved out to my mother's home after I 17 left West Allis Hospital, and I maintained a 18 residence there. And while there, I filled in at -- 19 for many, many different parishes. I had -- you 20 know, I had assignments to -- you know, for Sunday -- 21 Sunday help-out. 22 Q In 1996, or sometime in the 1990s, there's some 23 indication that you were removed from a position at a 24 hospital because of an incident with a boy. Is that 25 the same one that -- Gramann Reporting, Ltd. (414) 272-7878 76 Sworn Statement of FRANKLYN BECKER, 8/7/06 1 A That's the one you're referring to. That's the one. 2 Q Okay. You called that the stalking -- 3 A Yeah. And that was really an unfounded allegation. 4 Q You're also called into the Archdiocese at some point 5 as a part of Project Benjamin -- 6 A Mm-hmm. 7 Q -- when Lucy Piesecki, P-I-E-S-E-C-K-I, is in charge. 8 And she went through your history assignment parish 9 by parish, did she not? 10 A Yes, she did. 11 Q Did she ask you about all your sexual contacts in 12 each parish? 13 A She was not alone. She had two representatives with 14 her and they wanted a -- a rundown. And I felt that 15 she was really invading my privacy. I should have 16 had an attorney at that time. 17 Q Okay. 18 A But I -- she did ask me many questions, yes. 19 Q And did you -- did you answer all the questions? 20 A I tried to the best of my ability, but I guess after 21 a while, I had second thoughts about the legality of 22 the whole thing. 23 Q And so what did you tell her about your sexual 24 history in the various parishes? 25 A I can't recall. This is -- this is -- this goes back Gramann Reporting, Ltd. (414) 272-7878 77 Sworn Statement of FRANKLYN BECKER, 8/7/06 1 too far, and I don't remember. 2 Q Did you tell her about having had contact with 3 various youth in various parishes? 4 A I think she -- she wanted names of people, you know, 5 who might come forward, and I gave her some names at 6 that time. 7 Q How many names? 8 A I can't remember. 9 Q More than a dozen? 10 A I don't think so, no. 11 Q Less than -- less than 12 names? 12 A I would say so, yes. 13 Q Okay. 14 A And these were not, you know, necessarily -- these 15 were people not -- not minors, necessarily. These 16 were people that I had known over the years. 17 Q Anybody else from the Archdiocese besides Lucy 18 Piesecki that ever asked you what your sexual history 19 was and the possible names or numbers of youth that 20 could come forward? 21 A No. That was the only one. And after I had one 22 session with her, I said I will not return to that, 23 because I felt -- it was just a -- 24 MR. FINNEGAN: Was she taking any notes, do 25 you remember? Gramann Reporting, Ltd. (414) 272-7878 78 Sworn Statement of FRANKLYN BECKER, 8/7/06 1 THE WITNESS: Well, she had people there, I 2 think, from the police department. I think she had 3 people there with her, and there were two other 4 people. 5 And I later found out that she was -- 6 you know, this was not a confidential situation. She 7 was sharing some of this with other people at the 8 Cousins center. 9 BY MR. ANDERSON: 10 Q Okay. 11 A And I decided at that point I'm not going to -- I 12 refused to meet with her. It was after that period 13 that I started seeing Dr. Trachsel, and that was kind 14 of a compromise. 15 Q Okay. And did they want you to see Trachsel? When 16 you say a compromise, what do you mean? 17 A Well, the thing was, after the -- after the St. Louis 18 evaluation it was recommend that I go into treatment. 19 And I said I cannot do this because I'm responsible 20 for the care of my mother. I said I cannot be away 21 for, you know, like a six-month period or whatever. 22 So the compromise was that I would see 23 Dr. Trachsel on a -- originally twice a week and then 24 after a while it was once a week. 25 Q At some time, Mr. Becker, in the 1980s, did the FBI Gramann Reporting, Ltd. (414) 272-7878 79 Sworn Statement of FRANKLYN BECKER, 8/7/06 1 question you about your affiliation with the Man/Boy 2 Love Association? 3 A I had a visitor from the -- from the FBI to my 4 apartment. I was taken aback by that. 5 Q Tell us about that. 6 A Well, the only reason was, I had heard about the 7 organization, and I was curious and had sent, you 8 know, for their mailing, and I was on the mailing 9 list. And I was -- and they apparently got ahold of 10 me -- the mailing list. 11 And I -- you know, I was very -- you 12 know, really upset by this. And I called the 13 organization. I said I -- I wrote that I was 14 interested in the organization as to what it was all 15 about, but I did not want to receive their 16 publications, you know, after this time. And that 17 was the end of that. 18 Q How long did you receive mailings and/or remain on 19 the Man/Boy Love Association list? 20 A I don't know, less than a year, I would think. 21 Q When did you make the request for their information 22 and get on their list? 23 A I think I had been to a -- while I was in California 24 I had attended a seminar, and this -- the -- I had 25 never heard of the organization before, and they -- Gramann Reporting, Ltd. (414) 272-7878 80 Sworn Statement of FRANKLYN BECKER, 8/7/06 1 they referred me and gave me a mailing address. 2 Q And what about the Man/Boy Love Association that 3 peaked your interest and caused you to get on their 4 list? 5 A What about it? Well, I was -- I had read -- done a 6 lot of reading in the field, and I guess I was just 7 curious as to what their tenets really were or what 8 they -- what were hoping for, and -- 9 Q Did you believe at that time that it may be 10 appropriate for adult men to have intimate relations 11 with boys? 12 A No. I was very skeptical. I felt this was probably 13 not -- not right, even though I had read, you know, 14 Greek literature, you know, which extolled the love 15 of men and boys, and I was, you know, somewhat 16 interested, you know. But I -- but that really, you 17 know, sounded an alarm for me right there. 18 Q When did you first realize that you had a sexual 19 attraction to boys? 20 A Early age. 21 Q Before the age of 18? 22 A Yes. 23 Q Okay. And when is the first time that you did 24 anything about it or got some help concerning your 25 sexual attraction to boys? Gramann Reporting, Ltd. (414) 272-7878 81 Sworn Statement of FRANKLYN BECKER, 8/7/06 1 A Well, I think I really was not fully aware until that 2 incident prior to my ordination, and actually it did 3 not -- nothing was really done professionally until 4 1981. 5 Q Okay. And what was done in '81? 6 A Well, I think that's when I had the initial session 7 with Dale Owen. 8 Q And how did you -- what caused you to see Dale Owen? 9 A I think that was at the request of the diocese. 10 Q Who made the request? 11 A Well, whoever was in power at that time. 12 Q Okay. In 1981 it was Archbishop Weakland, and there 13 was -- do you remember who in particular for the 14 archbishop requested that you see Dale Owen? 15 A I think Father Janicki was instrumental at that time. 16 Q Tell us what led to you having to see Dale Owen as 17 required by the Archdiocese? 18 A Well, I -- as I recall, this was -- this was around 19 the time that the -- the interview with the papers 20 took place. 21 Q Okay. 22 A I think that's what triggered it. 23 Q And did you tell Dale Owen -- now, Dale Owen, was he 24 a therapist? 25 A He was a therapist. Gramann Reporting, Ltd. (414) 272-7878 82 Sworn Statement of FRANKLYN BECKER, 8/7/06 1 Q He was somebody who was supposed to treat and/or 2 evaluate you for the Archdiocese? 3 A I believe so. He was -- he was -- Peter knew him. 4 He was a Capuch -- former Capuchin. I'm not sure 5 whether he was ever ordained, but he later went into 6 private practice. 7 Q And did he tell the Archdiocese, to your knowledge, 8 that you had a sexual interest in boys? 9 A I don't know what was shared. I know that Joe 10 Janicki sat in on the final session. 11 Q With Dale Owen? 12 A Yes. 13 Q And in that session, what did Dale Owen say to you 14 and in the presence of Father Janicki about your 15 attraction to boys? 16 A I don't -- I don't remember. I just remember it was 17 a very angry session, and -- because I was very 18 resentful of Janicki's involvement. He has since 19 left the priesthood, but I can't recall. This is -- 20 you know, this is too long ago. 21 Q At any time while serving as a priest of the 22 Archdiocese and in any parish at any time, were you 23 ever restricted in your ministry or access to youth 24 by your archbishop? 25 A Yes. Gramann Reporting, Ltd. (414) 272-7878 83 Sworn Statement of FRANKLYN BECKER, 8/7/06 1 Q When was the first time you were restricted in your 2 ministry or access to youth? 3 A Well, I think when they had a -- they appointed a 4 deacon to be kind of an overseer and a monitor for 5 priests, you know, who -- who were in question. 6 And there was a deacon by the name of 7 Tom McGuine who, you know, set up some guidelines, 8 you know, for -- as to what -- you know, how I -- as 9 to occasions to avoid, etc. 10 Q When was that, that that restriction was first 11 imposed upon you as a priest? 12 A Oh, gosh. I might have a paper here. I don't know 13 if I do or not. 14 Q Are you able to recall where you were assigned then? 15 A No. I think I was -- I was not assigned. I think I 16 was -- I think I was just doing help-out work, as I 17 recall. 18 Q Was that when you were in residence and that caused 19 some controversy in 1993? 20 A No, well, I just -- see, I don't think I have those 21 papers here. But it was -- it was after -- it was 22 after that. It was after that. It was during the 23 period that I was living at home and doing the 24 weekend help-out work. 25 Q So sometime in the 1990s? Gramann Reporting, Ltd. (414) 272-7878 84 Sworn Statement of FRANKLYN BECKER, 8/7/06 1 A I would say. I think it was after, yeah. The 2 initial evaluation was in '86. I think it was 3 probably -- was there a '93 evaluation also? I think 4 so. I think it was '90 -- in the '90s, yeah. 5 Q Okay. Just so I understand you correctly, the first 6 time that any restriction was imposed on your 7 ministry as it pertains to youth and/or your sexual 8 interest in them was in the 1990s, correct? 9 A Yes. I would say so. 10 MR. ANDERSON: Okay. Well, I think that's 11 all I have. Let's take a break and see if there's 12 anything else we need to cover. 13 THE WITNESS: Okay. 14 MR. ANDERSON: Let's go off the record. 15 (A recess was taken.) 16 BY MR. ANDERSON: 17 Q Okay. I did have a follow-up question, and that was, 18 I understand just in talking to you here that 19 sometime in the 1970s while you were at Holy 20 Family -- and according to the record, actually you 21 were at Holy Family in 1972, '73, and perhaps into 22 '74. 23 A Mm-hmm. 24 Q While at Holy Family, in any case, you attended a 25 meeting in Ohio concerning the Man/Boy Love -- Gramann Reporting, Ltd. (414) 272-7878 85 Sworn Statement of FRANKLYN BECKER, 8/7/06 1 A No, no. 2 Q What was the meeting? 3 A It was a -- it was dealing with ministry to the gay 4 community. 5 Q Oh, I see. What came -- what was -- 6 A It was held in the Bergamo Center in Dayton, Ohio, as 7 I recall. They had speakers like John McNeal, John 8 Harvey, Brian McNaught, and I can't recall if Paul 9 Shanley was there or not. He may have been. I'm not 10 sure. But I met -- somewhere along the line I met 11 Paul Shanley. 12 Q At that time was Father -- then Father Paul Shanley 13 advocating sex between men and boys? 14 A I can't say that he was. All I can say is that I 15 knew -- there was some reference to 16 different organizations within the -- within the gay 17 community. 18 Q At that time were you drawn to that meeting and Paul 19 Shanley and some of those others because you yourself 20 had an interest in -- in youth? 21 A Not necessarily, no. I was concerned about -- I was 22 involved in ministry to the gay community. As I 23 said, I had been -- attended Dignity sessions, and it 24 was a -- it was kind of a -- it was held at a 25 Marionist monastery or a -- and it was -- you know, Gramann Reporting, Ltd. (414) 272-7878 86 Sworn Statement of FRANKLYN BECKER, 8/7/06 1 it sounded -- it sounded like it was of interest, 2 because I think at that time, in the '70s, ministry 3 to the gay community was being talked about. And -- 4 (Reporter interruption.) 5 THE WITNESS: John McNeal, a Jesuit, wrote 6 a book called "The Church and the Homosexual." And 7 Shanley had had tapes out at that time. Sister 8 Janine Grammick and Father Bob Nugent had something 9 called New Ways Ministry. 10 BY MR. ANDERSON: 11 Q What kind of tapes did Father Paul Shanley have? He 12 has been identified as a pretty notable -- a former 13 priest who had a -- quite an active ministry to gays 14 with a focus on actually ephebophilia. Do you know 15 what ephebophilia is? 16 A Sure, I do, sure. But I -- as I recall, he had a 17 couple of tapes out. One was called straight talk 18 about gays, you know, and he just talked about his 19 ministry. 20 He was -- he was assigned by the 21 cardinal in Boston to a street ministry, and he was, 22 you know, considered to be kind of a -- you know, 23 authority on, you know, on that type of ministry, you 24 know. And I didn't really know -- at that time it 25 was acceptable. Gramann Reporting, Ltd. (414) 272-7878 87 Sworn Statement of FRANKLYN BECKER, 8/7/06 1 Q Have you ever considered yourself, or to your 2 knowledge been diagnosed, as an ephebophile? 3 A I think there are leanings in that direction. I have 4 not been diagnosed as such. 5 Q Okay. And just for our understanding so we're 6 talking about the same thing, a ephebophile is 7 somebody who has a compulsive sexual interest in 8 post-pubescent youth, correct -- 9 A Yes. I'm familiar with the term. It's a term that 10 Archbishop Weakland used. He said he didn't know too 11 many pedophiles, but he was -- he thought that most 12 of the cases were cases of, you know, ephebophiles. 13 Q Do you have any inclinations towards pedophilia? 14 A Not that I -- not really. 15 Q Okay. And when we talk about pedophilia, that's 16 pre -- 17 A No, no. I don't think I -- no. 18 Q Okay. 19 MR. ANDERSON: That's -- that's all I have. 20 Thank you. 21 THE WITNESS: Thank God. 22 EXAMINATION 23 BY MR. FINNEGAN: 24 Q I have one more that -- one more if -- I don't know 25 if you want to talk about it or not. It's something Gramann Reporting, Ltd. (414) 272-7878 88 Sworn Statement of FRANKLYN BECKER, 8/7/06 1 that Dave mentioned before. Another guy who's out 2 there, Don Jolly. Do you remember who he was? 3 A Sure, a friend of mine. 4 Q He's a friend of yours? 5 A Yes. 6 Q Was he -- how was he involved at all, or was he? 7 A Not really. He's a friend. He's a bishop in the -- 8 I think in the American Orthodox Church. 9 Q Are you still friends with him? 10 A Yeah. We're still friends, right. He's also -- at 11 the time I got to know him, he was involved with the 12 savings and loan organization and -- 13 MR. ANDERSON: I don't think we need that. 14 MR. FINNEGAN: Okay. No, we don't -- 15 THE WITNESS: But he would have no 16 relevance -- 17 MR. ANDERSON: No. We don't need that. 18 THE WITNESS: -- but he's a -- he's been a 19 friend. 20 MR. ANDERSON: I think I covered the 21 attorney stuff adequately, didn't I, you know, to 22 cover -- I think we're done. 23 THE WITNESS: Thank God. 24 (A discussion was held off the record.) 25 EXAMINATION Gramann Reporting, Ltd. (414) 272-7878 89 Sworn Statement of FRANKLYN BECKER, 8/7/06 1 BY MR. ANDERSON: 2 Q There was just another matter, and we were referring 3 to Exhibit F. And you gave me that name, but you 4 said that when you were assigned to South Milwaukee, 5 what parish are you referring to there? 6 A St. John's. 7 Q St. John's in South Milwaukee, according to the 8 records, you were assigned there in '82? 9 A Mm-hmm. 10 Q You said the pastor was made aware of the fact that 11 you had had some problems. What pastor was that 12 you're referring to? 13 A Father William Heffron. 14 Q Can you spell that? 15 A H-E-F-F-R-O-N. 16 Q What was he told, and by whom? 17 A I think he was told by the personnel board that -- 18 you know, that there had been some situations that 19 had arisen and that I -- he should -- if anything 20 were to occur, he should, you know -- you know, be on 21 the alert or at least be -- and he was. And that's 22 how this other situation evolved. 23 Q So if I'm hearing you correctly then, he was told 24 that you had had some issues in your past as a priest 25 involving youth, and he was to keep an eye on you, Gramann Reporting, Ltd. (414) 272-7878 90 Sworn Statement of FRANKLYN BECKER, 8/7/06 1 right? 2 A Right. 3 Q And -- and it was then that the situation involving 4 the young man in Exhibit F arose; is that what -- or 5 was that before? 6 A Yes. That's -- yes, that was it, mm-hmm. 7 Q And who in the -- is Father Heffron alive now? 8 A No. He's deceased also. 9 Q And -- 10 MR. ANDERSON: I think that's all I have. 11 MR. FINNEGAN: Do you know who talked to -- 12 who told Heffron? 13 THE WITNESS: Who told him? 14 MR. FINNEGAN: Yeah. Was it someone in 15 particular -- 16 THE WITNESS: Well, I know that when Father 17 Janicki was called in -- in fact it was interesting. 18 He said he wanted to meet with me on a Sunday -- on a 19 Saturday morning. And I went down there, and I was 20 floored because this couple, the boy's parents, and 21 Father Janicki were -- it was kind of a ploy to get 22 me down there. And then I was confronted. 23 BY MR. ANDERSON: 24 Q And you were confronted by the parents, the boy and 25 Father Janicki? Gramann Reporting, Ltd. (414) 272-7878 91 Sworn Statement of FRANKLYN BECKER, 8/7/06 1 A Right. And the pastor -- the boy wasn't there. 2 Q Okay. 3 A It was the parents and Father Heffron and Father 4 Janicki. 5 Q Okay. 6 A But it was resolved, you know, amicably, and I 7 remained friends with the family. 8 Q Was there any discussion and -- and/or concern by you 9 about police involvement? 10 A No. I guess I just was really naive. I had no idea 11 that anybody else had been informed, you know, so I 12 just never -- 13 Q And to your knowledge, did the Archdiocese ever 14 report any of this information to law enforcement? 15 A Well, I think they did. Yes, I'm sure. 16 Q When was the first time? 17 A Well, I don't know, but I think Michael -- what's his 18 name -- McCann must have been informed. 19 Q Was that in 1996? Anything before -- 20 A See, I don't have any records on that. 21 Q To your knowledge, any reporting to the police before 22 the 1990s? 23 A Not that I'm aware of. 24 Q Okay. 25 MR. ANDERSON: Nothing further, thanks. We Gramann Reporting, Ltd. (414) 272-7878 92 Sworn Statement of FRANKLYN BECKER, 8/7/06 1 are done now. 2 * * * * 3 (Statement concluded at 2:49 p.m.) 4 (Exhibits retained by Mr. Anderson.) 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 Gramann Reporting, Ltd. (414) 272-7878 93 Sworn Statement of FRANKLYN BECKER, 8/7/06 1 STATE OF WISCONSIN ) ) SS: 2 MILWAUKEE COUNTY ) 3 4 I, Kealoha A. Schupp, RPR and Notary 5 Public in and for the State of Wisconsin, do hereby 6 certify that the preceding statement was recorded by 7 me and reduced to writing under my personal 8 direction. 9 I further certify that said statement 10 was taken at STEINHAFEL, SMITH & ROWEN, S.C., 15460 11 West Capitol Drive, Brookfield, Wisconsin, on the 7th 12 day of August, 2006, commencing at 12:45 p.m. 13 I further certify that I am not a 14 relative or employee or attorney or counsel of any of 15 the parties, or a relative or employee of such 16 attorney or counsel, or financially interested 17 directly or indirectly in this action. 18 In witness whereof, I have hereunto 19 set my hand and affixed my seal of office on this 20 10th day of August, 2006. 21 22 ________________________________ Kealoha A. Schupp, RPR 23 Notary Public 24 My commission expires January 13th, 2008. 25 Gramann Reporting, Ltd. (414) 272-7878