MINNESOTA
International Business Times
By Eben Blake
The Roman Catholic archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis was charged Friday for how it handled multiple allegations of sexual abuse over the course of several years. The archdiocese received six gross misdemeanor counts as a corporation, according to the Minneapolis-based Star Tribune, with a prosecutor saying that the church “turned a blind eye” to the conduct of a priest.
The charges stemmed primarily from the archdiocese’s actions surrounding Curtis Wehmeyer, who was sentenced to five years in 2013 for criminal sexual misconduct and possession of child pornography and was defrocked as a priest in March. Wehmeyer pleaded guilty in 2012 to molesting two brothers, according to the Associated Press. He is currently charged with sex crimes in both Minnesota and Wisconsin.
“It is not only Curtis Wehmeyer who is criminally responsible for the harm caused, but it is the archdiocese as well,” said Ramsey County prosecutor, John Choi, reported the Star Tribune. “Today, we are alleging a disturbing institutional and systemic pattern of behavior committed by the highest levels of leadership of the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis over the course of decades,” said Choi, reported the New York Times.
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