Twin Cities Archdiocese Settles Civil Charges

By Tom Corrigan
Wall Street Journal
December 18, 2015

http://www.wsj.com/articles/twin-cities-archdiocese-settles-civil-charges-1450479965

The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis settled civil charges that it failed to protect children from abusive priests in a deal that allows Minnesota prosecutors to continue pursuing criminal charges against the archdiocese.

The settlement, unveiled Friday during a hearing in Ramsey County Court in Minnesota, requires the archdiocese to improve how it handles clergy sex abuse allegations and to establish more rigorous oversight practices. The archbishop must also apologize to, and offer to meet with, victims of an abusive priest and their families.

The archdiocese, home to 187 parishes and 825,000 parishioners, didn’t admit any wrongdoing under the settlement and denied the specific civil charge of contributing to the need for protective services for children.

In a letter posted Friday to the archdiocese’s website, Archbishop Bernard Hebda, who is serving as the administrator of the Twin Cities archdiocese until a new archbishop is appointed, said the archdiocese agreed to more than it would have been compelled to do by a court but that it and prosecutors share the goal of ensuring children’s safety.

“It should be no surprise that we have diligently been working together since [June] to find the best ways to make the achievement of that shared goal a reality,” he said. “Today’s agreement will require all of us to renew our commitment to continue building a culture that makes the protection of children a priority.”