It is unforgivable that the Church has to be shamed and legally forced into admitting wrongdoing. This was the fate that befell the Archdiocese of St. Paul/Minneapolis, and at the rate things are going in Guam, the Archdiocese of Agana is next. Archbishop Hon can avoid the same fate by doing the right thing. He has not. Read below:
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The
Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis publicly admitted wrongdoing Wednesday
for the way it handled sexual abuse allegations against a former priest, while
prosecutors dropped criminal charges that alleged the archdiocese turned a blind
eye to repeated misconduct by the defrocked cleric.
"I
stand before you to say we have failed," said Archbishop Bernard Hebda.
"We
pledge to move forward openly, collaboratively and humbly... always mindful of
our past. We will never forget," he said.
The admission was part of an agreement in a lawsuit that calls for Archbishop Bernard Hebda to personally participate in
at least three and likely more restorative justice sessions with abuse victims.
The archbishop took the unusual step of attending the Wednesday hearing where
the agreement was announced.
Ramsey County prosecutors filed civil and criminal charges
against the archdiocese last year. The six gross
misdemeanor child endangerment charges against the archdiocese involved Curtis
Wehmeyer, who is serving prison time for molesting two boys in Minnesota and a
third in Wisconsin.
The civil case was settled in December under a plan that allowed for more
oversight of the church. But attorneys for both sides used Wednesday's hearing
on progress in the civil case to announce new steps aimed at reinforcing that
agreement.
"The Archdiocese admits that it failed to adequately respond and prevent
the sexual abuse" of the three victims, the archdiocese said in papers
filed Wednesday. "The Archdiocese failed to keep the safety and wellbeing
of these three children ahead of protecting the interests of Curtis Wehmeyer
and the Archdiocese. The actions and omissions of the Archdiocese failed to
prevent the abuse that resulted in the need for protection and services for
these three children."
Then-Archbishop
John Nienstedt resigned from his post 10 days after the criminal charges were
filed in June 2015. Hebda, who took over an archdiocese in turmoil about a year
ago, apologized for its failures at a news conference later Wednesday.
"Those children, their parents, their family, their parish and others were
harmed. We are sorry. I am sorry," Hebda said.
Ramsey County Attorney John Choi said the victims' family appreciated the
admission of wrongdoing. He said they supported the measures to strengthen the
settlement and his decision to drop the criminal charges.
"They were moved and satisfied that justice had been done," the
prosecutor said.
Choi also defended his decision not to file criminal charges against Nienstedt
or other senior church officials for their handling of the Wehmeyer case. He
said there wasn't enough evidence against any individual to get a conviction,
though there was against the archdiocese. He said the protections under the
settlement are stronger than anything the court could have ordered.
An
attorney for victims of clergy abuse is accusing the Vatican of interfering in
the investigation of a Minnesota archbishop.
Jeffrey
Anderson made the claim in a case involving former archbishop John Nienstedt
whose personal conduct was being examined in 2014 as the archdiocese was
criticized for its handling of abuse allegations.
Anderson
cited a newly released 2014 memo from the Rev. Daniel Griffith, an archdiocese
leader for ensuring a safe environment for children.
In
it, Griffith accused the Vatican's delegate in Washington, D.C., of ordering
church leaders to wrap up the Nienstedt investigation without pursuing all
leads. Griffith also accused the then-delegate, Archbishop Carlo Maria Vigano,
of ordering leaders to destroy a letter in which they disagreed with him.
Attempts
for comment from the office of the Vatican's delegate were not immediately
successful. Griffith didn't immediately return messages.
Earlier
Wednesday, prosecutors said they'll drop child endangerment charges against the
archdiocese and the archdiocese said it'll admit it mishandled allegations.
The
Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis response to release of documents:
The Ramsey County Attorney's Office and the St. Paul Police
Department have fully and thoroughly investigated the Archdiocese of Saint Paul
and Minneapolis and its leaders for 3 years. They have reviewed
each of the documents made public today and investigated the allegations raised
in those documents.
Today, Ramsey County Attorney John Choi told the public there is
no basis to bring a criminal charge against any of those leaders. He also
dismissed all of the criminal charges against the Archdiocese. That dismissal
is unconditional and speaks for itself.
Other
changes announced Wednesday extend the court's oversight until February 2020.
And the archdiocese named nationally recognized child welfare advocate Patty
Wetterling to its Ministerial Review Board, which examines abuse claims
involving priests.
Whistleblower Reacts
Jennifer
Haselberger, who is the former top advisor to Archbishop John Nienstedt and the
whistleblower on the case, released a statement Wednesday about the
announcement. Read it here.
Legal Documents Released
With
the closure of the criminal case, Choi's office released legal documents
exchanged between the parties. See those items
here.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Great post, Webster. Here's an interesting quote:
ReplyDelete"Anderson cited a newly released 2014 memo from the Rev. Daniel Griffith, an archdiocese leader for ensuring a safe environment for children.
In it, Griffith accused the Vatican's delegate in Washington, D.C., of ordering church leaders to wrap up the Nienstedt investigation without pursuing all leads. Griffith also accused the then-delegate, Archbishop Carlo Maria Vigano, of ordering leaders to destroy a letter in which they disagreed with him."
This is a good example of why we need Bill 326.
I believe that Anthony Apuron was not only covering up his crimes, but covering up anything else bad that had happened in the archdiocese, before and during when he was the bishop.
DeleteI believe that Anthony Apuron was not only covering up his crimes, but covering up anything else bad that had happened in the archdiocese, before and during when he was the bishop.
DeleteAlthough Apuron "might" have been a victim himself when he was younger, does not give him a free pass to do what he had done to those children. Apuron needs to fess up, admit what he did, apologize to his victims and the People of Guam and then pray hard for forgiveness from God. This bill needs to be Law. If AB Salvio won't be the first to admit the archdiocese wrong doing, then this Law will compel him. Your choice AB Savio. The easy way out, or a more arduous way.
ReplyDeleteRK, this is a continuing example when evil men of the cloth, continue to use their position to cover up continued abuses. It is a sad state when priests are required to blindly follow orders even if it civilly and morally wrong. No transparency and accountability. I doubt even if they ask themselves "what would have Jesus done?" Victims first then justice and not doing damage control.
ReplyDeleteu.s. apostolic nuncio, vigano's, involvement is a big deal, because it shows that a high level vatican official had a hand in the cover-up. was he acting on orders from rome? it shows that the bishops all the way up the hierarchy still don't get it. and sadly for guam, it confirms again that we can't fully trust rome.
ReplyDeletepass the bill. bring on the lawsuits. prepare to hear the ugly truth that is Church corruption.