Critics Skeptical of Church Sex Abuse Task Force

KSTP
October 10, 2013

http://kstp.com/news/stories/S3188526.shtml?cat=1

[with video]

A day after the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis announced creation of a task force to review policies regarding child sex abuse by priests, critics protested outside church headquarters. Members of SNAP, "Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests," organized the protest by a handful of supporters.

Among them was Dale Scheffler, a 46-year old man who won a civil suit against the archdiocese in 1996 but had his $1 million judgment reversed by an appeals court.

"Why are they saying they're going to form another board?" Scheffler asked. "I've heard so much about these boards it's sickening."

Scheffler was abused by a priest more than 30 years ago. He says the only answer is for the church to turn over all of its records about allegations against priests to law enforcement.

So far the archdiocese has resisted calls for them to release a list of names of all priests "credibly accused" of abusing children. However, the archdiocese now has a "Safe Environment and Ministerial Standards Task Force" to review church policies regarding child sex abuse among clergy. That is made up entirely of lay people not employed by the church.

Archbishop John Nienstedt also recently updated and "re-established" a "Clergy Review Board" to help him review individual cases of child sex abuse. That board is composed of a mix of clergy and lay people.