ST. LOUIS (MO)
Catholic Culture
By Phil Lawler Jun 10, 2014
Please, Archbishop Carlson, don’t insult our intelligence, and we won’t insult yours.
You have testified, under oath, that in the 1980s it was not clear to you that sexual abuse of children was a crime. Do you expect us to believe that? Do you want us to believe it?
If you didn’t know that molesting children was a crime, why were you concerned that parents of a victim might talk to the police? If you didn’t know that sex with children was illegal, why did you write a memo alluding to the statute of limitations? …
update
The St. Louis archdiocese has issued a statement complaining about “inaccurate and misleading reporting” about Archbishop Carlson’s deposition. The statement suggests that when he expressed uncertainty about “whether I knew it was a crime or not,” the archbishop was referring to a new mandated-reporting law. But the full transcript of the archbishop’s deposition, which the archdiocese helpfully provides, shows otherwise:
Q. (By Mr. Anderson) Archbishop, you knew it was a crime for an adult to engage in sex with a kid?
A. I’m not sure whether I knew it was a crime or not. I understand today it’s a crime.
Q. When did you first discern that it was a crime for an adult to engage in sex with a kid?
A. I don’t remember.
Q. When did you first discern that it was a crime for a priest to engage in sex with a kid who he had under his control?
A. I don’t remember that either.
Q. Do you have any doubt in your mind that you knew that in the ’70s?
A. I don’t remember if I did or didn’t.
The statement from the St. Louis archdiocese claims to be “intended to clear up confusion” about the archbishop’s testimony. I’m afraid it’s actually designed to cause confusion, because right now clarity does not work in Archbishop Carlson’s favor.
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