UNITED STATES
Legal Examiner
Posted by Mark Bello
May 15, 2017
Many of my readers know that I recently wrote the book, “Betrayal of Faith“. Some of you may have already read it; thank you and I hope you enjoyed it. For those that are not familiar with the book, “Betrayal of Faith” is a fictional account of two teenage clergy abuse victims and their mother who hire a lawyer, file a lawsuit and begin a “David vs. Goliath” legal battle, seeking justice against a corrupt church. The book is based loosely on an actual case I handled toward the end of the 20th Century. In this legal thriller, the Church defends the case vigorously and dispatches “The Coalition”, a clandestine internal organization within the church. “The Coalition” and its mysterious leader orchestrate a conspiracy to cover-up the priest’s prior misconduct and thwart, by any means necessary, all attempts at holding the church accountable in a court of law. In the book, The Coalition will stop at nothing, even criminal activity.
Fast forward to today, a typical day in Minnesota in the 21st century. Such cases of clerical abuse still occur, but now there is an additional problem on the rise – a real-life “Coalition” is trying to cover up transgressions of the past. As I read the following case I wondered, does fact mimic fiction in our 21st century courtrooms?
A man on the verge of being ordained a Church deacon has filed a lawsuit against a Minnesota bishop and diocese on the grounds of blackmail and coercion. The case represents the first time that a U.S. bishop has been individually sued for coercion by a victim.
In 2010, the victim visited with the bishop in question to explore how he would go about becoming a deacon. At that time, he told the Bishop about having been molested by a priest at the age of 16. According to the current lawsuit, the Bishop advised him to tell no one, suggesting that the truth would damage that priest’s reputation. This intimidation led to silence, while the mane continued with his deaconate program. Consequently during this time, his son was ordained a priest.
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