St. John's Abbey Releases Information on 18 Monks

By Brett Hoffland
KSTP
January 19, 2016

http://kstp.com/news/stories/s4021520.shtml

St. John's Abbey

St. John's Abbey says it has released the files of 18 monks believed to have sexually abused children.

The 18 files include nine monks who have died and two who have separated from St. John's Abbey and live as laymen.

The other seven files include monks who live on the St. John's campus under a safety plan the abbey has developed.

The abbey said in a statement it knows of no incident of sexual abuse of a minor by a monk at St. John's in more than two decades.

The files include detailed personal information on the monks that is protected by state and federal laws, the statement said.

"The victims need to know the scope, the magnitude, the horrific nature of this abuse," said Charles Reid, a St. Thomas professor and Catholic Church expert. "When we learn everything about these priests, it benefits everyone," Reid said. 

"The files share heartbreaking and tragic details of suffering inflicted on survivors of misconduct," Abbott John Klassen said in a statement.

A St. Paul lawyer who represents victims of priest abuse say the records show that several monks were allowed to work at other parishes and dioceses with warning after St. John's Abbey received reports of abuse.

The firm of Jeff Anderson said Tuesday's release was required from the terms of a 2015 settlement of a sexual abuse lawsuit that Troy Bramlage brought against the abbey and the Rev. Allen Tarlton.

Tarlton is among those whose files were released Tuesday. Tarlton is among seven monks Anderson's firm says were allowed to work at other locations without notice.

"It is alarming so many of these credibly accused monks were allowed to work at other parishes and communities after St. John's Abbey received abuse reports," said Mike Finnegan, a lawyer for Anderson's firm who represents Bramlage.

Releasing the documents is another step in the process, but one Catholic Church expert says it's also progress for the institution moving forward.

"Acknowledgement is huge followed by genuine sincere sorrow and we're beginning to see that at St. John's," Reid said.