MINNESOTA
Jeff Anderson & Associates
JEFFREY R. ANDERSON
This week yet another Minnesota priest was arrested for sexually abusing a child. Father Leo Charles Koppala, of Blue Earth, Minnesota, has been charged with the sexual abuse of an 11-year old girl. Father Koppala is a priest at Saints Peter and Paul Catholic Church. His arrest is a stark reminder of the continued vulnerability of our youth to child predators, including clergy.
American Catholic Bishops are fond of categorizing the sexual abuse of children by clergy as a historic problem. The much-criticized 2011 John Jay Report commissioned by the United States Catholic Conference of Bishops takes this position. But the crimes of Fr. Koppala and St. Paul priest, Father Curtis Wehmeyer believe this stance.
At the moment, according to the Bishop of Winona, Fr. Koppala is on administrative leave. The priest is not allowed to live on parish property or conduct ministry. The Bishop represented that there were no previous abuse allegations regarding Fr. Koppala.
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