Archdiocese resists abuse lawyer’s demands

Lawyers for the Archdiocese of St Paul and Minneapolis moved to squash a subpoena requesting Archbishop John Nienstedt to be deposed in a case involving a priest of his diocese accused of more than 12 instances of child sex abuse.

Archbishop Nienstedt is himself currently on leave pending an investigation of a charge that he inappropriately touched a child.

The motion filed by the archdiocese claims that releasing documents requested by the lawyer for the plaintiffs, along with the deposition of Archbishop Nienstedt and former vicar general Mgr Kevin McDonough, would harm the archdiocese’s “due process and equal protection rights”. Jeffrey Anderson, lawyer for the alleged victims, claimed the archdiocese’s action shows it is not committed to  transparency and accountability.

A judge later denied a motion by the archdiocese to prevent Archbishop Nienstedt from testifying in cases against priests accused of sexually abusing children.

In Kansas City, meanwhile, a group of Catholics petitioned Pope Francis to remove Bishop Robert Finn. In 2012, Finn was convicted for failing to report a cleric who abused children to civil authorities. The letter from the group, which was signed by 13 lay people and a religious sister, was accompanied by a petition that garnered 113,000 signatures. Under the norms of the Dallas Charter for Child Protection, adopted by the US bishops in 2002, Finn could not be hired to teach Sunday school because of his 2012 conviction.

In Milwaukee, Wisconsin, the archdiocese announced it would be setting aside US$4 million for sex abuse claims. Advocates for victims complained that the amount was inadequate.