MINNESOTA
Post-Bulletin
Kay Fate, kfate@postbulletin.com
The release Monday of a list of priests credibly accused of sexual abuse was almost exactly five years coming.
What started as a lawsuit against the Diocese of Winona has been batted around multiple courts since Dec. 5, 2008.
And with it came an apology from Bishop John Quinn: “Over the past few decades, a number of clergy members in the Diocese of Winona sadly have been accused of violating the sacred trust placed in them by children, youth and their families and were accused of detestable crimes of sexual abuse. This has caused insufferable harm to victims, their families, parishioners and the Church. For this I am truly sorry.”
At the heart of the suit is Thomas Adamson, now 80, a former priest who served in Rochester; the diocese moved him from parish to parish despite multiple complaints of abuse that surfaced as early as 1964. His behavior was reported to superiors six times; it was never reported to police. …
Timeline
Timeline of victims’ efforts to make the Diocese of Winona’s list public:
Nov. 26, 2008: As part of his lawsuit against the Diocese of Winona, Jim Keenan (John Doe 76C) who was sexually abused as a child by Thomas Adamson, sought the names and documents on the Diocese of Winona’s 13 priests.
Dec. 5, 2008: Order issued requiring the Diocese to produce the names and documents.
April 17, 2009: Diocese of Winona’s protective order granted which prevented Jim Keenan and his attorneys from making the names public.
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