Joy of the Gospel 11 • Praying for priests 13 • Tips for confession 16 December 5, 2013 Newspaper of the Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis
thecatholicspirit.com
Archdiocese discloses information regarding accused clerics Release is part of comprehensive approach to address issues associated with clergy sexual misconduct The Catholic Spirit As part of its ongoing efforts to address issues related to clergy sexual misconduct, the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis is releasing information related to priests who have been credibly accused of sexual abuse of minors in the archdiocese. The information can be found in this issue of The Catholic Spirit and on a special page titled “Disclosures Regarding Clergy Sexual Abuse of Minors” on the archdiocese’s website, www.archspm.org. Disclosure In his column this week in The Catholic Spirit (at right), Archof names, bishop John Nienstedt said the disclosure is part of the archdiocese’s safe environment efforts, which he hopes “will contribute to the see pages, healing process for victims and others who have been harmed, and 4-6 serve to protect God’s children and foster trust in the Church.”
Questions & answers about the disclosure, see page 7
The disclosure includes the following information: • the cleric’s name; • his year of birth and age; • year of ordination; • if deceased, the year he died; • the cleric’s prior assignments; • the date of his removal from ministry and current status; and • the city and state where he presently resides.
The information being released is mostly related to reported incidents that occurred between the mid-1950s and 1980s, the archdiocese said in a Dec. 2 statement. Most of the men identified have been previously identified in media reports. All of them have been permanently removed from ministry or are deceased. The disclosures are not intended to be final, Archbishop Nienstedt said in his column. “We are currently engaged in a comprehensisve review of clergy files and the list will be updated as additional announcements are made,” he said.
Following up on pledge The current action follows a pledge last month by Archbishop Nienstedt to release the names of priests with substantiated allegations of child sexual abuse against them after getting court permission. The archdiocese sought and received that approval from a Ramsey County judge at a Dec. 2 hearing.
Disclosure moves us forward on a path toward healing Over the last several decades, some clergy members of the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis unfortunately have violated the sacred trust placed in them by children, youth and their families by committing acts of sexual abuse. This is a tragedy that has caused insufferable harm to victims, their families, parishioners and the Church. I must say once again to all victims of this abuse: I am so sorry for the pain you have endured. You have been on my mind and in my heart as I offer my daily prayers for you. My staff and I are completely committed to combating the problem of sexual abuse and doing all we can to ensure that these horrors are never repeated in the Church. To that end, as I have been communicating THAT THEY to you over the last two months, we are evaluating and improving our policies and MAY ALL BE ONE practices in our concerted effort to protect Archbishop children and prevent sexual abuse. John C. Nienstedt Today, I am announcing the details of our new disclosure practices. These disclosures being made now, and the changes in our disclosure practices generally, are part of a comprehensive and cohesive set of actions we have been taking here in the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis this fall to address the issues associated with clergy sexual misconduct. These decisions reflect not only a great deal of my own prayer and reflection, but also wise counsel provided by my staff and other advisers. I also have considered the practices of a number of other dioceses. As we progress with our disclosure, our practices may continue to evolve, including recommendations that may be made by the independent task force or through the review of our clergy files by an outside firm. Please be assured that I will let you know of
Please turn to DISCLOSURE on page 22
Please turn to OUR on page 3
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