By Conrad Wilson
Minnesota Public Radio
December 18, 2011
minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2011/12/18/alleged-deacon-sex-abuse/
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| The Church of the Holy Spirit in St. Cloud. (MPR Photo/Conrad Wilson) |
St. Cloud, Minn. — The St. Cloud Diocese will hold a second listening session Monday evening on a former deacon accused of sexual abuse.
Last month, allegations surfaced that Michael Weber, 67, of Foley, was involved in sexual misconduct in the late 1960s, sometime during the four or five months he was deacon at the Church of the Holy Spirit in St. Cloud.
One of the alleged victims filed a lawsuit against Weber and the St. Cloud Diocese last week.
Jane Marrin, a spokesperson for the Diocese, says the information seemed credible so the Church decided to hold public meetings about Weber.
"We are doing a second session, because our first session ... posed many questions," she said. "Some of which we weren't able to answer at the time. And we feel we owe it to the people who attended to answer those questions."
The second session will clarify whether the Diocese was aware of the abuse in the late 60's and what they are doing to prevent this from happening in the future, Marrin said.
Some at the last meeting said it didn't work and the councilor hired by the diocese apologized to the victims for the format.
Weber left the church during the early 1970s and later went on to hold various community leadership positions, including leadership roles on the U.S. Advisory Board on Child Abuse and Neglect, and the National Association of Public Child Welfare Administrators.
Neither Weber nor his attorney has responded calls and emails for comment.
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