UNITED STATES
The Catholic Spirit (publication of the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis)
June 16, 2020
By Maria Wiering
With two 2018 allegations against Haas, archdiocese declines letter of recommendation
Catholic composer David Haas denies allegations of sexual misconduct with adult women that led his music publisher, GIA Publications, to suspend its relationship with him.
In a June 16 statement, Haas said he “denounces Into Account Inc.’s allegations as false, reckless and offensive.”
Into Account, a nonprofit that supports abuse survivors, emailed Haas’ associates in late May to notify them that Haas had been accused of “repeated, unethical abuse of the professional and spiritual power he has had in church music circles,” including “sexual offenses.”
“The allegations we’ve received also contain a disturbing component of spiritual manipulation. Haas reportedly focuses attention on women with past histories of abuse, then uses the vulnerabilities created by trauma to create intimacy,” according to a letter that was emailed May 29 by Into Account executive director and founder Stephanie Krehbiel.
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