St. Thomas officials did not know of priest sex abuse allegations, report says

By Emily Gurnon
Pioneer Press
October 07, 2014

http://www.twincities.com/education/ci_26682445/st-thomas-officials-did-not-know-priest-sex

Michael Keating

The University of St. Thomas has completed its investigation into sexual abuse allegations against former professor the Rev. Michael Keating but insists that before a lawsuit filed last October, neither the current nor former president knew of the allegations, according to a statement Tuesday.

Top officials also were unaware of recommendations the Clergy Review Board made in 2007 regarding suggested supervision of Keating -- which included that he "be restricted in activities in the nature of retreats, spiritual counseling or mentoring, particularly of adolescents or young adults," said university President Julie Sullivan.

Keating has denied that he sexually abused any minor.

Tuesday's statement, emailed to all faculty, staff and students and obtained by the Pioneer Press, said an outside law firm had completed an independent investigation whose results were "confidential."

But among several conclusions Sullivan disclosed was the lack of reported knowledge about Keating's alleged behavior toward young girls.

"Prior to October 2013, neither I, President-Emeritus Father Dennis Dease, nor any of our current or former direct reports, were aware that allegations of sexual abuse or inappropriate conduct had been made against Father Keating," Sullivan wrote.

"We also were not aware of the Clergy Review Board recommendations or any restrictions regarding his activities," she said.

Asked who at the university knew of the allegations, spokesman Doug Hennes said, "I don't have any information to share ... beyond what President Sullivan communicated in her email."

The woman who claimed sexual battery in an October 2013 lawsuit first reported to archdiocese officials in 2006 that she had been molested by Keating between 1997 and 2000. The abuse began when she was about 13, she said. Keating was 30 years her senior and in the seminary at the time.

Keating, now 58, had been a frequent guest at her family's Chisago County home.

The Chisago County sheriff's office investigated the woman's claims in 2006, but the county attorney's office declined to file charges.

Keating joined the St. Thomas faculty in 2005, Hennes said.

When the woman sued, Keating was placed on leave. He resigned Sept. 16.

Officials of the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis, including then-Vicar General Kevin McDonough who was on the St. Thomas board at the time, discussed Keating's case at length in 2006.

Keating alleged was involved in relationships with as many as four young women or girls, McDonough told then-Archbishop Harry Flynn, who also was on the St. Thomas board of directors.

One was the Chisago County girl, who alleged an incident in which Keating was "rubbing her chest for a prolonged period of time," McDonough wrote.

Another was an Italian girl whom Keating met when he was studying for the priesthood in Rome.

"A number of people have commented on the intensely connected emotional relationship that Michael Keating and (the girl) had, and a variety of kisses and other embraces that were publicly visible," McDonough wrote.

She later traveled to Minnesota for his ordination.

Reached by another church official, she said Keating had done nothing improper.

At best, McDonough told the archbishop, Keating "has a deep inability to understand when a relationship with a woman has crossed emotional boundaries."

A possibility "far more painful to imagine" is that sexual abuse occurred, which would require the archdiocese to remove him from ministry, McDonough wrote.

McDonough said in a 2008 memo that an investigation found no sexual abuse. Keating was not removed.

McDonough also wrote that Keating's supervisor at the university should be notified of the results of the investigation.

Jeff Anderson, a lawyer representing the woman in the lawsuit, said Tuesday's statement "raises more questions than it gives answers."

Because a judge's order in a different lawsuit prohibits him from discussing certain facts about Keating, Anderson said, he can't say what more he knows.

"But I have to tell you that there is more to that than what they have revealed," he said.

Reached by phone Tuesday, Dease, who served from 1991 to 2013, repeated that he knew nothing of the allegations, although the archdiocese and Chisago County sheriff's deputies investigated the case in 2006 when Keating was on the faculty.

"I didn't know about that until I read it in the newspaper," Dease said. "I had no inkling of those allegations. I was totally surprised by those allegations."

He declined to say who should have told him. Dease said, "I don't really want to continue this, because I'm retired."

Current President Sullivan began her term in July 2013, a few months before the lawsuit was filed.

The lawsuit claims that from 1997 to 2000, Keating "engaged in multiple instances of unpermitted, harmful and offensive sexual contact" with the girl. He fondled her breasts and had her lie on top of him while he was aroused, she said.

She met with then-Archbishop Harry Flynn, then-Vicar General Kevin McDonough, then-Chancellor of Civil Affairs Andrew Eisenzimmer, victim advocate Greta Sawyer and the Clergy Review Board when she was 19, the lawsuit said.

Going before the board felt as if she were being victimized all over again, as the members pressed her over and over for details, the woman said.

The law firm hired by St. Thomas to conduct the investigation was Dorsey & Whitney, Hennes said.

Asked why the results were being kept secret, he said, "We're sharing the results of the investigation .... This is our report."

Sullivan would not comment or answer questions personally, he said.

Sullivan's statement was not sent to the media, nor was it posted on the university's website.

Hennes said in the interview that with 12,000 to 14,000 students, faculty and staff receiving it, "it's also going to end up in the media, too."