MINNESOTA
Minnesota Public Radio
by Rupa Shenoy, Minnesota Public Radio
October 9, 2013
A task force created by the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis to investigate clergy misconduct includes a psychologist who works on sex offender management, a computer forensics expert and former St. Paul police sergeant. Members say their work will be independent of the archdiocese they’re investigating.
An MPR News investigation has revealed that several priests suspected of sexual misconduct were protected by the Twin Cities archdiocese.
In a letter dated Sept. 27, Archbishop John Nienstedt expressed sorrow for victims of abuse and said he bore “special responsibility for priests” in the archdiocese. Last weekend, the archdiocese asked parish priests to tell churchgoers about a new task force that has been formed to investigate the allegations.
That task force took its first step Wednesday.
The Rev. Reginald Whitt is a Dominican priest and professor at St. Thomas University. He has degrees in civil and canon law. Whitt does not serve on the task force — but he did choose its members from among a group of people — not clergy, and some not even Catholic — who volunteered.
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