MINNESOTA
KARE
ST. PAUL, Minn. – A hearing in Ramsey County Wednesday indicates that the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis is holding up its end of a far-reaching agreement designed to keep children safe and out of the hands of abusive priests.
The biggest development from the hearing is the announcement that Ramsey County is dropping criminal charges filed against the Archdiocese. Those charges involved allegations that the Archdiocese turned a blind eye to repeated misconduct by Curtis Wehmeyer, who was convicted of molesting two boys in Minnesota and one in Wisconsin.
The Archdiocese was met with praise from the judge and Ramsey County Attorney John Choi for the new initiative called “Virtues Protecting God’s Children,” where everyone who works with children has to go through criminal background checks. They also undergo three hours of specialized training and sign a code of contact. At this point, 576 active clergy have completed the program.
Attorneys for the Archdiocese also spoke of an emphasis on notifying law enforcement immediately when allegations of abuse surface.
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