UNITED STATES
Minnesota Public Radio
July 21, 2014
· EDITOR’S NOTE ·
A week ago, MPR News broadcast a radio documentary as part of its investigation of the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis. The story showed how church leaders over decades protected many priests accused of sexually abusing children and it revealed a pattern of choices supported by a culture that put the needs of the church ahead of the needs of its people.
Today’s four-chapter story builds on the radio documentary to present a closer look. Both reports relied on dozens of interviews, hundreds of thousands of never-before-published documents, and the account of a whistleblower with unprecedented access to the church’s secrets. Many source citations are listed below.
MPR News published its first investigative report in September 2013. The fallout was immediate. The vicar general resigned within days. Police launched criminal investigations. Catholics held protests, the archbishop suspended his public appearances and an important fundraising campaign eventually was canceled.
The scandal grew as MPR News reported more revelations: that the archdiocese had kept accused priests in ministry, failed to call police, ignored Vatican rules, and given special payments to priests who had admitted privately to abusing children. Since the radio documentary aired last week, calls for the resignation of Archbishop John Nienstedt have increased among Twin Cities Catholics and the story has gained more national attention.
— Chris Worthington, MPR News managing director
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