MINNESOTA
National Survivor Advocates Coalition
Kristine Ward
First, the news out of Minneapolis hurts survivors. We want them to know their pain is known and acknowledged.
The Archbishop of Minneapolis-St. Paul and Archdiocesan officials have been let off the hook and will not be charged with any responsibility for not stopping a priest now convicted and serving a prison sentence on sexual abuse charges.
The Archdiocese is “grateful” to be “cleared.”
The Archdiocese’s records show that the Archdiocese had knowledge going back to 2008 regarding the sexual addiction and solicitation activities of this priest — and the Archdiocese gave him 28 hours of potential running and destruction of evidence time in a coming arrest alert regarding the charges for which he is now serving time.
Still, the police said they do not have the evidence to charge anyone in the Archdiocese of obstruction of justice or any complicity in the crimes.
Here are news stories with the details that there will not be charges along with the official statement of the Archdiocese:
[KSTP]
The police are “troubled” about the Archdiocesan officials and their actions or inaction.
So are we, but we don’t have subpoena power, calling grand jury power or issuing search warrant power like the police and county attorney and courts do.
Is there no law in Minnesota under which people who know that a person has and likely will continue to abuse children and minors can be held responsible for aiding this person — by the advance notice on an arrest? By promoting the person to pastor in 2009 and giving him a position of authority and respect
when the records show that trouble existed and was known in 2008?
Really?
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