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…