MINNESOTA
City Pages
By Jesse Marx
Fri., Oct. 24 2014
The Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis has added 17 names to its list of credibly accused priests as part of a settlement agreement with Jeff Anderson’s law firm. Nine priests allegedly abused minors within the archdiocese and eight allegedly abused minors outside the archdiocese, but held assignments here.
The list has also been updated to include three men whose alleged crimes had previously been considered unsubstantiated. It’s not immediately clear why the status of these claims was elevated, but give it time. Some, if not all, of the files are expected to be made public in the coming weeks and months.
Seven of the 17 are still alive, according to the archdiocese, though we couldn’t reach any of them for comment. Most remain in Minnesota, but two reside on the coasts.
For Bob Schwiderski, the addition of Father William Marks to this list is 52 years in the making. He says he was abused a hundred times as an altar boy in Hector, and church officials responded by transferring Marks to another parish in Green Valley.
Schwiderski is working on his own list of credibly accused clerics — which includes several Christian denominations — and says Thursday’s disclosure, plus another one made by Winona two weeks ago, has added 94 previously unknown locations of suspected abuse to his list. Knowing where these clerics have traveled could open the door to more stories of abuse. It’s possible there are still people out there who haven’t come forward.
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