MINNESOTA
Star Tribune
Article by: TONY KENNEDY , Star Tribune Updated: November 11, 2013
Archbishop John Nienstedt announced Monday morning that he will release the names of priests who have sexually abused minors.
The move marks an about-face for the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis, which has refused to release a list of accused priests for years.
In a strongly worded open letter, Nienstedt said, the Archdiocese will disclose “the names, locations and status of priests who are currently living in the Archdiocese, and who we know have substantiated claims against them of committing sexual abuse against minors.”
The letter said all the priests have been removed from ministry.
The decision to release the names of known abusers comes in the wake of the report of another accused priest, Clarence Vavra, who admitted to the archdiocese that he had abused boys on the Rosebud Indian Reservation in South Dakota in 1995. Vavra was not removed from ministry until 2003.
“Serious mistakes have been made in the archdiocese’s handling of abuse cases,” Nienstedt wrote. “Offering expressions of regret and sorrow seems so inadequate in the context of the crimes of the offenders and our failures to deal with them properly. And yet, I must say how sorry I am. My heart is heavy for the victims of this repugnant abuse.”
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