MINNESOTA
Fox 9
by Mike Durkin
ST. PAUL, Minn. (KMSP) –
A 7-member, vicar-appointed task force with the “single overriding goal” of protecting children has released its report on the handling of clergy sexual misconduct issues within the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis.
The report found a top-heavy power structure, a lack of oversight and accountability and the failure to follow procedures “created opportunities for some priests to harm children.”
THE INVESTIGATION
The task force met 23 times between October 2013 and March 2014, reviewing thousands of pages of documents and interviewing 32 individuals — a group that included archdiocese officials, parish priests and experts in the field of child sexual abuse.
“This report cannot undo the damage that has been done to many people within the archdiocese,” the task force wrote. “The task force’s hope is that our recommendations will help prevent future clergy sexual abuse of minors.”
5 PROBLEMS
The investigation found “serious shortcomings” in the implementation of the Dallas Charter, which sets the standards for handling sex abuse complaints in American parishes:
Too much power at the top: “For many years, the archdiocese concentrated too much power in one or two individuals to make decisions regarding allegations of clergy sexual abuse of minors. These individuals were not subject to adequate oversight nor their decisions and actions subject to monitoring and audit. Processes and decisions have appeared secretive and sequestered, even if that was not the intent”
Note: This is an Abuse Tracker excerpt. Click the title to view the full text of the original article. If the original article is no longer available, see our News Archive.