MINNESOTA
Fox 9
by Karen Scullin
ST. PAUL, Minn. (KMSP) –
More accusations have been brought against the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis, this time involving alleged possession of child pornography and a cover-up. On top of that, the Archbishop’s top deputy has resigned, and it appears a new criminal case is about to get underway.
Jeff Anderson, a St. Paul attorney representing victims of sexual abuse by clergy, was trying to get a judge to release a list of 33 names the Archdiocese has investigated for abuse when church lawyers suddenly presented a police report in court.
“My reaction was disbelief,” Anderson said. “The Archdiocese waved a police report suggesting that Father John Shelley was innocent and had been cleared by police.”
But the report details an investigation by St. Paul police in May of 2013 in which a former church employee — Jennifer Haselberger — called police. She told them church leaders failed to report “thousands of images” of child pornography found on the computer of Rev. John Shelley, a local priest. She even revealed there was a report done by a private investigation firm hired by the Archdiocese that confirms the findings.
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