Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis Has an Interesting Addition to Their List

By Mike Bryant
Legal Examiner
May 13, 2014

http://minneapolis.legalexaminer.com/property-owners-liability-slip-fall/archdiocese-of-st-paul-and-minneapolis-has-an-interesting-addition-to-their-list/

Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis released a statement with their most recent disclosures:

Certain clergy members who we have made known to the public through press releases or who have been the subject of media reports over the past many months are not included in this disclosure. They remain under investigation. If claims against them are substantiated, their names will be added to our website. Similarly, if the claims against them are not substantiated, that too will be made known.

I read this to say a number of things:

1) They have more names.

2) If they find more are credibly accused, those names will be released.

3) If they find that the claims are not credible, “that too will be made known.”

The first one is suspected and there are other names out there. The second is a no brainier and the sooner the better. The third is the one that I stopped and reread a couple of times. It seems to say that they will finally come out with the names that they have been told about , but who through whatever standards they are using they found to not be names for the list. However, it claims that they will stop hiding those names.

They have files that they are using for these investigations and it is imperative that disclosure involves the release of those files. This statement is promising, but their actions seem contrary to the openness that they promise:

Why the Church Can Not Make the Disclosure Decisions

Can The Bishop Duck a Deposition?

Headline Week for Archbishop John Nienstedt

What is a Crime to the Church?

The lists are the start. The files need to be disclosed and those involved need to be questioned.

Abuse of children and the continued silence by the offenders needs to be prevented. If you suffered, saw, or suspected such events, it is important to know that there is help out there.