MINNESOTA
KAAL
The Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis has disclosed the names of 34 priests who it says have been accused of sexually abusing minors.
The names were made public Thursday following months of criticism that church leaders mishandled allegations of abuse. Archbishop John Nienstedt says he hopes the move will restore trust; he made comments in a column in the archdiocesan newspaper, The Catholic Spirit.
He says the 34 names disclosed in the newspaper are not intended to be a final list. He says a review of clergy files is under way, and the list could be updated. Going forward, new abuse claims that can be substantiated will be disclosed on the archdiocese website.
He also apologized to victims, and says he is committed to combatting sexual abuse and ensuring it is never repeated in the church.
The archdiocese says it has substantiated claims against 30 priests on the list. The remaining four have claims against them that could not be substantiated, but the archdiocese released them after a court order.
The information includes the clerics’ names, parishes where they served, and other details. It does not include details of the allegations.
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