MINNESOTA
Pioneer Press

By Elizabeth Mohr
emohr@pioneerpress.com
POSTED: 04/13/2015

The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis, which has filed for bankruptcy protection in the face of clergy abuse claims, is asking the court to sidestep a state law and reduce the window for victims’ claims by about nine months.

Minnesota lawmakers decided that victims of past child sexual abuse should have more time to file lawsuits and hold their abusers accountable, no matter how long ago the abuse occurred. The Legislature suspended the statute of limitations and created a three-year window, ending in May 2016.

The archdiocese argued in its motion that, since whistleblower efforts gained momentum in 2013, followed by the Legislature’s passage of the Child Victims Act, church officials have reviewed personnel files to identify accused priests and possible victims; the church has disclosed names of “credibly accused” clergy; and the issue of…