The first McGuire conviction has been upheld.
MADISON, Wis. – An appeals court on Wednesday upheld the 2006 conviction of a once-prominent Jesuit priest on charges he abused two students during retreats in Wisconsin in the 1960s.
Donald McGuire, once a spiritual adviser to Mother Teresa and her religious order of nuns, is one of the most influential religious figures convicted in the Catholic Church’s sexual abuse scandal.
On Wednesday, the District 2 Court of Appeals rejected his request for a new trial on charges he sexually abused two teenagers during trips to a cottage in southeastern Wisconsin in 1967 and 1968.
It may not be over yet, his lawyer says.
Robert Henak, a Milwaukee lawyer who represented McGuire during his appeal, blasted Wednesday’s decision and continued to insist the victims were not credible. He said he would consider asking the Wisconsin Supreme Court to overturn the decision or pursue an appeal in federal court.
“It’s very difficult to understand how somebody can wait 36 years to bring charges like this, wait until after all of the witnesses who could rebut your story are dead, and that can still be allowed to go to court,” he said. “It just boggles the mind. To allow something like this simply in my mind is not justice.”
McGuire is serving a 25–year federal sentence [where?] and will not be returned to Wisconsin, the Wisconsin prosecutor said.
Blithe Spirit 