Star Tribune | ST. CLOUD, MINN. — A sexual abuse victim resigned in protest Friday from an external review board formed by St. John’s Abbey in response to the clergy sexual abuse scandal.
On July 28, the abbey publicized allegations of sexual misconduct in the 1970s and 1980s that were made against three of its monks, one of whom has died. The allegations were first raised months or even years before they were made public.
“The delays in disclosure, and more so the delays in notifying potential victims where these men worked, was part of the reason why I felt I must resign,” Pat Marker, a three-year-board member, told the St. Cloud Times. He was one of the first victims to go public with allegations of sexual abuse by a St. John’s Abbey priest.
Marker, 41, said a caller accused him of being “part of the problem.”
The nine-member review board meets monthly and reports to Abbot John Klassen on key issues ranging from assessment and supervision of offenders to assistance for victims.
“It’s sad that Pat chose to resign,” said David Baraga, the review board’s former chairman who remains a member of the group.