MINNESOTA
Minnesota Public Radio
[Doe 1 Order Releasing Names of Credibly Accused Priests]
by Laura Yuen, Minnesota Public Radio,
Madeleine Baran, Minnesota Public Radio
December 4, 2013
ST. PAUL, Minn. — The Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis is preparing its priests for the release of a list of 29 priests who it says have been credibly accused of sexually abusing children.
The accused priests have served at nearly half — 92 of the 188 — of the parishes in the archdiocese, according to an email sent to priests today by Vicar General Charles Lachowitzer, the archbishop’s top deputy.
The archdiocese plans to release the names on its website Thursday. It will also release each priest’s birth year, ordination year, parish assignment history, current status and city of residence. For the deceased priests, it will also provide the year of death. The planned disclosure comes after Ramsey County Judge John Van de North ordered the archdiocese on Monday to release the names of all priests with credible allegations of child sexual abuse who had been included on a sealed list by Dec. 17. The 33 names were disclosed to attorneys in a 2009 clergy sexual abuse lawsuit, but a judge had ordered they remain private.
A spokesman for the archdiocese said the list will not include four of the 33 names. Three of the priests have allegations against them that church officials believe to be unsubstantiated, Tom Wieser, an attorney for the archdiocese, said Monday. The other priest’s name is not being released because there is no record that he served in the archdiocese, Wieser said.
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