MINNESOTA
Pioneer Press

By Emily Gurnon
egurnon@pioneerpress.com
POSTED: 09/18/2014

Years ago, he was a young Minnesota priest — and alleged rapist

St. John’s Abbey and two clerics — one who worked at the Church of St. Bernard in St. Paul — were sued Thursday by men claiming they suffered sexual abuse as children.

Attorney Jeff Anderson said at a news conference that the abbey in Collegeville, Minn., and the Diocese of St. Cloud made promises to two of those men 12 years ago: All abusive clergy would be taken out of ministry and closely restricted, and new policies would be put into place. But those promises were broken, Anderson said.

Current Bishop Donald Kettler and Abbot John Klassen of St. John’s Abbey told the St. Cloud Times editorial board in January that priests identified as abusers were being kept away from children.

“We have one priest…