MINNESOTA
Canonical Consultation

12/23/2015

Jennifer Haselberger

Since last Friday’s announcement of a settlement between the Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis and the Ramsey County Attorney’s Office regarding the civil petition filed in June of 2015, many of you have contacted me to express your disappointment with the terms of the settlement. I understand your frustration. The terms of the settlement read, at least at first glance, like a restatement of all the promises that the Archdiocese has made, and broken, over the past twenty-five years, and suggests little reason for hope. At the same time, I agree with news reports that have suggested that the agreement is without precedent, and I tend to lay the blame for the weaknesses of the agreement with the Archdiocese rather than with the court. Here is why.

When the Ramsey County Attorney’s Office filed its civil petition on June 3, 2015, it…