MINNESOTA
City Pages
By Jesse Marx Tue., Oct. 14 2014
Jeff Anderson hurries down the historic hallways of the Landmark Center in St. Paul dressed in a blue-pin-striped shirt with a white collar and pauses to hug two men. Both Jim Keenan and Al Michaud have been working with the attorney for years — both victims of clerical sexual abuse.
“This is a good day,” Anderson whispers and steps aside, revealing an odd sight: two priests.
Handshakes go round and one by one the men step into a room packed with reporters and cameras and survivors and pols — many of the people who’ve had a stake in cleaning up the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis in the last couple years. Jennifer Haselberger, the former canon lawyer and whistle blower, stands in the back, smiling nervously.
They’ve come to hear Anderson announce the details of a sweeping settlement. His three-decade-long battle, though far from over, has come down to this: a 17-point “child protection protocol” that’s intended to revive confidence in local parishes and remove the veil of secrecy and silence that has plagued generations of sexual abuse survivors.
For instance, the plan forces the archdiocese to report allegations to law enforcement immediately and stay out of the investigation until it’s completed. Meanwhile, the suspected priest will be pulled from active ministry and his personnel files open to scrutiny.
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