Archbishop Robert Carlson

Ordained in the Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis, Archbishop Robert Carlson spent the first twenty years of his career working in Minnesota, eventually being appointed auxiliary bishop of the archdiocese in 1984. Carlson played a key role in handling allegations of child sexual abuse that were reported to the archdiocese in the 1970s and 1980s.

Carlson was installed as Archbishop of St. Louis on June 10, 2009. Prior to his appointment, Archbishop Carlson worked as the Bishop of Saginaw from 2005-2009 and Bishop of Sioux Falls from 1994-2005.

In May 2014, Archbishop Robert Carlson’s sworn statement was taken in the case of Doe 1 v. Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis, et al. During his testimony, Carlson claimed he was uncertain if he knew sexual abuse of minors was a crime while he worked in the Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis. Carlson never personally reported any incident of child sexual abuse to the police and claimed not to recall answers to questions 193 times during his deposition.