St. Paul Archdiocese Releases Names of 9 More Accused Priests
By Emily Gurnon
The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis has released names of nine additional priests and monks with "credible claims against them of sexual abuse of a minor." The names were released Monday after a review of clergy files by Kinsale Management Consulting, a Los Angeles agency hired by the archdiocese, officials said in a statement. All have died or have been removed from ministry. Other priests mentioned in media reports were not been included in Monday's list because "they remain under investigation," the archdiocese said. Tuesday was the deadline set by a Ramsey County district judge for the archdiocese to turn over names of those accused since 2004, when a national study produced an initial list of "credibly accused" priests. Judge John Van de North's Feb. 11 order requires broader disclosure than those the archdiocese considers "credibly accused." But the judge said archdiocese attorneys could submit the names under seal, for only him and attorneys for both sides to see, at least initially. That doesn't solve the problem, the archdiocese said Monday. "While the ruling orders the names we submit to the court to be sealed, the judge also immediately noted that the plaintiff could ask the names to be unsealed," the church said in its statement. The archdiocese, as well as the Diocese of Winona, opposed disclosure of the broader group of accused. They asked Van de North on Thursday to delay enforcing his order while they appealed to the Minnesota Court of Appeals. They also asked him to stay the order that Archbishop John Nienstedt and former Vicar General Kevin McDonough testify about child sexual abuse cases. The judge denied the requests Sunday. The Rev. John T. Brown, a 93-year-old accused priest now living in Maplewood, also will be deposed under the judge's order. Van de North's orders came in the lawsuit filed against the Twin Cities archdiocese, the Winona diocese and former priest Thomas Adamson, who allegedly abused the unnamed plaintiff in the mid-1970s at St. Thomas Aquinas in St. Paul Park. Five of the names released Monday were the subject of previous lawsuits or claims by St. Paul attorney Jeff Anderson, who represents several alleged abuse victims. They are Francisco (Fredy) Montero, Kenneth LaVan, Michael Kolar, Thomas Gillespie and Gerald Funcheon. Two others, Harold Walsh and Robert Blumeyer, were known to Anderson as abusers, he said Monday. "It is disturbing that (archdiocese officials) always make claims to transparency when now, only under pressure, are these names being disclosed and rolled out," Anderson said. "Until they are forced to make a full disclosure, the peril remains." Emily Gurnon can be reached at 651-228-5522. Follow her at twitter.com/emilygurnon. THE LIST The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis on Monday released these names of nine more priests it said were "credibly accused" of sexually abusing minors: -- Robert Blumeyer: Worked at St. Boniface in Hastings in the 1950s, '60s and '70s, and St. Bartholomew in Wayzata in 1969-73; accused of molesting children at both locations, including a 13-year-old in Wayzata; died 1983. -- Gerald Funcheon: Worked at St. Odilia in Shoreview and St. Stephen in Anoka in the 1970s; lives in Dittmer, Mo. Funcheon told an Indiana bishop that there may be about 50 boys ages 10-16 with whom he engaged in "mutual masturbation or improper touch," according to an internal memo. A lawsuit against him alleged anal sex with a pre-teen boy from St. Odilia in the early 1970s. A phone number for Funcheon could not be found. -- Kenneth Gansmann: Served from 1949-59 at St. John's of Union Hill, near New Prague; died, date of death unknown. -- Thomas Gillespie: Worked 1964-78 at St. Bernard in St. Paul, 1978-86 at St. Mary's in Stillwater and later at St. Joseph's in St. Joseph, Minn.; lives in Collegeville. He was named by St. John's Abbey in December as having been accused of abuse; one incident with a boy reportedly took place on St. John's property in the late 1970s. A phone number for Gillespie could not be found. -- Michael Kolar: Served as assistant director and director, Catholic Youth Center in St. Paul; lives in St. Paul. He was sued for sexually abusing a woman beginning in 1975 when she was 15. Kolar did not immediately return a call seeking comment. -- Kenneth LaVan: Worked at St. Michael in St. Paul, St. Anne in Minneapolis, Guardian Angels in Oakdale, St. Joseph of the Lakes in Lino Lakes and other locations; retired in 1998; lives in Oakdale. A message left with LaVan was not immediately returned. -- Francisco "Fredy" Montero: Served as chaplain to the Hispanic community, Sagrado Corazon de Jesus, Minneapolis; now believed to be living in Ecuador. He was accused of molesting a girl in 2007 when she was 3 or 4; the archdiocese said he was having an affair with the girl's mother. A lawsuit alleged the archdiocese allowed him to return to Ecuador, but archdiocese officials said they could not prevent his return because no charges were pending. The Hennepin County attorney's office later said it found insufficient evidence to prosecute Montero. -- James Stark: Served at St. Stephen's in Anoka, St. Andrew's in St. Paul, Nativity in Bloomington, Holy Spirit in St. Paul, St. Peter's in Richfield and St. Michael in Farmington; died 1999. -- Harold "Harry" Walsh: Served at St. Pius X in White Bear Lake, Maternity of the Blessed Virgin Mary in St. Paul, St. Stephen in Minneapolis, Holy Trinity in South St. Paul, St. Henry in Monticello; retired 2001; accused of abusing a 15-year-old girl in Detroit and a 12-year-old altar boy in South St. Paul, Minnesota Public Radio reported. Walsh has denied the allegations. The details about where and when alleged abuse occurred were found in press reports. The archdiocese did not provide such details. The full list with links to additional information can be found at bit.ly/1kOZfWn.
Contact: egurnon@pioneerpress.com
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