Posts Tagged Archdiocese of Minneapolis and St. Paul
Clergy Sex Abuse & the Catholic Church
Posted by Voice of the Faithful in Catholic Bishops, Clergy Sexual Abuse, Vatican, Voice of the Faithful on December 20, 2013
We found interesting the juxtaposition of the following two stories listed one after the other in one of the Internet news roundups we read today. The first is a letter to The New York Times from the chairman of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Committee on the Protection of Children and Young People, and the second is a Minnesota Public Radio story about clergy sexual abuse in the Minneapolis and St. Paul Archdiocese.
Archbishop Nienstedt Steps Aside in Minnesota
Posted by Voice of the Faithful in Clergy Sexual Abuse, Voice of the Faithful on December 17, 2013
Statement from Voice of the Faithful® national office
Boston, Mass, Dec. 17, 2013 — Voice of the Faithful® agrees with the step Minneapolis and St. Paul Archbishop John Nienstedt is taking after allegations he touched a boy inappropriately. News reports say he is stepping aside while the allegation is investigated. In doing so, he is following the U.S. bishops’ guidelines for protecting children.
This action demonstrates that no one in the Church, whether bishop or employee, should be protected from the consequences of such allegations. Voice of the Faithful® would prefer that other bishops had been so diligent during these past decades of scandal. However, VOTF also believes that Archbishop Nienstedt should have resigned previously, when it became clear that child protection guidelines had not been followed in the past under his tenure.
Voice of the Faithful®: Voice of the Faithful® is a worldwide movement of faithful Roman Catholics working to support survivors of clergy sexual abuse, support priests of integrity and increase the laity’s role in governance and guidance of the Church. More information is at www.votf.org.
North St. Paul Pastor Seeks Leadership ‘Do-Over’ in Archdiocese; Calls for Releasing Names of Priests Accused of Child Sexual Abuse / Star Tribune
Posted by Voice of the Faithful in Clergy Sexual Abuse, Voice of the Faithful on October 23, 2013
The pastor of a large Twin Cities parish has taken the unusual step of publicly questioning whether Archbishop John Nienstedt should continue in his post amid a widening priest sex abuse scandal.
“The Rev. Bill Deziel, who heads the 6,000-member Church of St. Peter, used his church’s Sunday bulletin to call for a ‘do-over’ of archdiocesan leadership. ‘When things get this bad,’ Deziel wrote to his parishioners, ‘sometimes a fresh start is needed for all involved.’ Such a change, he said, ‘could get us moving again with all that Christ calls us to do.’” By Baird Helgeson, Star Tribune.
Fr. Deziel also has called for the diocese “to release the names of 33 priests accused of sexually abused children and to open the so-called vault in the chancery offices so its files on priests can be inspected by law enforcement.” Read the rest of Helgeson’s story by clicking here.
Former Minnesota Archdiocesan Official Shines a Light on Failures / National Catholic Reporter
Posted by Voice of the Faithful in Clergy Sexual Abuse, Voice of the Faithful on October 22, 2013
‘Be loving critics and critical lovers of the institutional church.’
“Jennifer Haselberger first heard that phrase while she was an undergraduate student at the College of St. Catherine (now St. Catherine University) in St. Paul, Minn. When she returned home in 2008 to take the position of chancellor of canonical affairs for the St. Paul-Minneapolis archdiocese, the phrase returned with her. Responsible for its records and archives, she discovered unreported allegations of clergy sex abuse and lapses in investigations.
“Ultimately, Haselberger, 38, resigned her position in April, saying that she found it impossible to continue in her position knowing such gaffes existed and that her efforts to rectify them had proved futile. So, she alerted law officials and local media.”
By Brian Roewe, National Catholic Reporter. Read the rest of Rowe’s report by clicking here.
Archdiocese Insider Battles Catholic Church over Sex Abuse / Star Tribune
Posted by Voice of the Faithful in Catholic Bishops, Clergy Sexual Abuse, Voice of the Faithful on October 17, 2013
The Minneapolis-St. Paul Archdiocese is struggling with accusations by its former canon lawyer, Jennifer Haselberger, who has a long and accomplished history with the church. She was five years into her “dream job” as a canon lawyer for the Catholic archdiocese when she alerted law enforcement officials last spring to what she believed was child pornography on a priest’s discarded computer.” By Dan Browning, Star Tribune
Read the rest of Browning’s story about this whistle blower by clicking here.
With Impunity for Bishops, the Coverups Continue / National Catholic Reporter
Posted by Voice of the Faithful in Catholic Bishops, Clergy Sexual Abuse, Voice of the Faithful on October 9, 2013
In June 2012, Fr. Curtis Wehmeyer was removed as a pastor, after the St. Paul-Minneapolis archdiocese received a complaint of child sexual abuse against him. The archdiocese informed the police, and by November Wehmeyer had pleaded guilty to sexually abusing two boys, ages 12 and 14, and possessing child pornography. He is serving a five-year prison sentence.
“Ostensibly, the archdiocese had complied promptly and fully with the Dallas Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People, the standards for dealing with priests accused of abusing a minor. The archdiocese certainly spun the story that way. That may have been the final perception, if Minnesota Public Radio had not followed the story to its origins.” Editorial in National Catholic Reporter
Read the rest of NCR’s editorial by clicking here.
Voice of the Faithful
A lay movement for governance reform in the Roman Catholic Church, responding to the clergy sexual abuse scandal and supporting survivors.
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