In October of 2013, MPR News Reporters began an investigation into Clergy sex abuse in the Twin Cities Archdiocese. MPR's reporting on the subject extends decades back in time and these stories helped inform the current investigation.
December 11, 2003 - It's been more than a decade since the archdiocese first acknowledged that abuse by clergy was an issue that needed to be addressed. Among other things, that acknowledgement prompted changes to the way seminarians are trained for the priesthood. Bishop Frederick Campbell is the Rector of The Saint Paul Seminary School of Divinity. He says that the seminary has had such a program in place for over 10 years. The program includes psychological testing of potential divinity students, as well as in-depth orientation for seminarians to the life of a priest.
December 11, 2003 - An audit has found that 33 priests in the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis have been accused of sexual abuse. The claims span 50 years and involve 69 credible allegations by people who say they were abused as minors in the years before 1988. The audit also says that the church is complying with anti-sexual abuse standards adopted by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops last year. In some cases, auditors say the churches efforts to help victims of abuse have gone above and beyond the bishops' guidelines. However, some say the audit is under-reporting the number of people who've been abused by priests. Minnesota Public Radio's Brandt Williams reports
December 11, 2003 - The Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis have released a report stating that they have credible evidence that 33 priests working in the diocese sexually abused a total of 69 children over the last 50 years. According to the diocese, the most recent incident happened in 1988. The numbers are part of a national survey which will be released in February.