MINNESOTA
Star Tribune
Associated Press
When the Rev. Curtis Wehmeyer was accused last year of sexually abusing children, officials from the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis told police he would immediately be relieved of his duties and were praised for their quick response.
But top archdiocese officials had known of Wehmeyer’s sexual compulsions for nearly a decade yet kept him in ministry and failed to warn parishioners, Minnesota Public Radio News reported Monday. MPR cited canon lawyer Jennifer Haselberger, who resigned in April, and dozens of other interviews and documents.
A 2011 memo shows the former vicar general — the top deputy of the archdiocese — did not want employees at Wehmeyer’s parish to know about his past. “At every step of the way, this could have been prevented,” Haselberger said.
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