New Priest Disclosure List May Not Be Complete

By Leslie Dyste
KSTP
January 23, 2014

http://kstp.com/article/stories/S3294944.shtml

[with video]

A new priest abuse disclosure list is due out next month, but it may not be complete. The Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis is scheduled to disclose names of accused priests Feb. 5.

But attorneys tell KSTP priests and others affiliated with Catholic churches in the state are asking attorneys about a legal maneuver that would allow them to stay anonymous.

Tanick says if a lawsuit is started people who have an interest in the case can bring what's known as an intervention action before the court. In other words, a person may anonymously ask the court that their identity be excluded from the record.

Critics say priests interested in doing this may be creating a negative perception among some.

Others argue it's an appropriate tactic innocent priests can use to protect themselves from being wrongly or mistakenly caught up in public disclosures.

Dr. Charles Reid from the University of St. Thomas Law School stopped by our KSTP-TV studios to discuss this issue.