MINNESOTA
KTTC
[with video]
ST. PAUL, Minn. (KTTC) — A landmark settlement has been reached in a clergy sex abuse lawsuit against the Diocese of Winona, and Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis.
The details of the settlement will likely be made public during a news conference Monday afternoon in St. Paul. This historic agreement comes just weeks before a trial was scheduled to begin in a case accusing the Diocese of Winona of creating a “public nuisance” by covering up clergy sex abuse cases for decades.
As part of the settlement, 17 child protection protocols have been implemented by the Diocese of Winona, and Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis.
In a statement, Winona Bishop John Quinn said the terms of the settlement agreement are confidential. He said the settlement fully resolves all issues in this case related to sexual abuse by former priest Thomas Adamson. Adamson, a native of Byron, was ordained a priest in 1958 and got his first assignment in Winona with pastoral duties at St. Casimir’s Parish. Adamson was removed from ministry in 1985 and defrocked in 2009.
“We are ashamed of the horrific crimes that Thomas Adamson has perpetrated against children in our Diocese and in the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis,” Quinn said in a statement. “We are committed to ensuring the safety of the children entrusted to our care in our schools and in our parishes. As part of the settlement in this case the Diocese of Winona has committed to a series of child protection protocols which will further help to ensure the safety of all of God’s children. Most of the child protection protocols that the Diocese of Winona has committed to have been previously adopted and implemented.” Read the rest of the statement here.
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