MINNESOTA
Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests
For immediate release: Wednesday, October 8, 2014
Statement by David Clohessy of St. Louis, Director of SNAP, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests ( 314 566 9790, SNAPclohessy@aol.com, davidgclohessy@gmail.com )
Newly released records show that Crookston’s bishop kept silent about a credibly accused and suspended predator priest in Winona for at least a decade.
As a top ranking church official in Winona diocese, then – Fr. Michael J. Hoeppner knew that Fr. Leland J Smith was a danger to children. He explained to Smith that he was on “administrative leave” due to charges of sexual abuse.
But apparently, at least as early as April of 2003, Fr. Hoeppner as far as we can tell did not tell police parishioners or the public about Fr.Smith.
In 2013, Fr. Smith was publicly “outed” as a credibly accused child molester because of the court ordered release of the names of credible accused clergy.
In 2007, Fr. Hoeppner was promoted by the pope to become Bishop Hoeppner, the head of the Crookston diocese.
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