News & Events

A letter arrived at my house last week that, right away, caught my attention. Now I don’t know about you, but there’s something about an attorney’s return address on an envelope addressed to me that makes finding out what’s inside a lot more important than the latest missive from Publisher’s Clearinghouse. So I stood there, barely in the door, coat still on and read, “We are sending this letter to anyone who may have attended a parish or school in the Diocese of Winona …”

The letter was from Jeff Anderson & Assoc…

The impact Spotlight has made on the child protection movement became
even more apparent yesterday when the movie won Best Original Screenplay
and Best Picture at the Academy Awards.  This is in addition to several
other awards claimed by the movie this year.  Based on a true story,
Spotlight portrays the Boston Globe’s uncovering of the clergy abuse
scandal in the early 2000s.  It is a powerful film exposing the global
concealment and cover-up of sexual abuse by Catholic officials for
decades at the expense of children.

Spotlight, the movie directed by Thomas McCarthy, chronicles the investigation undertaken by a team of investigative reporters from the Boston Globe.  Their investigation uncovered a decades long cover-up of sexually abusive priests by the Archdiocese of Boston.  The passion and tenacity of not only the reporters but the others who had already been laboring against the injustice including attorneys, whistleblowing priests and the survivors themselves can be viscerally experienced by the audience.  The movie is quite simply one of the most important and compelling films of our ti…

You may know of Ockham’s Razor, a principle developed by William of Ockham in the 14th century.  He espoused simplicity of thought, that is, the simpler theory is more likely to be true.  I take it as, “Ask the next, obvious, and simple question, and you will get to the truth.” The same goes for the Catholic clergy sex abuse crisis. My experience has shown me that in order to get to the root of the problem of the crisis, the best question is the simplest and the most obvious. Why? Because it opens up the most complex web of secrets. For the sake of argument and example, let’s look…

In recent days the Archbishop of Santiago Chile has refused to turn over documents to a Chilean civil court regarding Father Fernando Kardima’s sexual abuse of children.  The Archbishop is attempting to invoke a doctrine of canonical or pontifical secrecy.  By hiding behind the pontifical secret the Archbishop is clearing communicating that the reputation of the Hierarchy and individual clerics are more important than child safety.Pontifical secrecy in matters of child sexual abuse is an official policy of the Holy See.  The reality is that the Archbishop is following the direct…

One of the most common questions we are asked in child protection is how many minors does a child molester sexually abuse in their lifetime?
In the case of Norbertine Father Reverend Brendan Smyth O. Praem, we have a glimpse into the mind, methods and devastating results from a Priest who was allowed by the Roman Catholic Hierarchy to decimate children in Northern Ireland, the Republic of Ireland, Scotland, Wales and the United States.
 “Mr. Aiken said that Smyth was convicted of 117 cases of indecent assault against 41 children in the North and South. There were 74 convictions against …

It appears that its ‘business as usual’ for Bishop Paul Sirba in the Diocese of Duluth these days and we are deeply concerned about the all-too-familiar circumstances playing out there. As has been widely reported, Father Brian Lederer of Blessed Sacrament in Hibbing was arrested on May 5th and charged with the sexual assault of multiple young girls at his parish school. Father Lederer is a pastor at Blessed Sacrament who was also a teacher there at one point. Then, in the face of an ongoing criminal investigation, Bishop Paul Sirba made the decision to place the Diocese’s Chancellor, Judicial…

We are deeply troubled to learn of the arrest of a priest in the Diocese of Duluth, Fr. Brian M. Lederer, Hibbing, Minn., on expected charges of sexual abuse of children.  The sexual abuse of children among clergy is a real and present danger.  Although the Catholic Church may argue that the scourge of clerical childhood sexual abuse is a thing of the past, the arrest of Lederer and more recent cases such as Curtis Wehmeyer in the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis and Shawn Ratigan in the Diocese of Kansas City-St. Joseph tell us otherwise…

Former Lindwood Arts School Janitor Walter Happel was sentenced to 10 years in prison today for sexually abusing numerous children over the course of 30 years.  We applaud the courageous survivors who came forward and spoke the truth in order to see justice done.  Happel was convicted of three counts of criminal sexual conduct for his sexual abuse of minors.  We are alarmed and saddened whenever students are sexually abused by a school employee.   When serial predators work with unsupervised access to children in an elementary school, a very dangerous risk is posed…

Finally, Pope Francis did something about one of the world’s most notorious and noxious examples of clergy pedophilia cover up: he accepted the resignation of criminally convicted Kansas City-St. Joseph Bishop Robert W. Finn today. http://www.kansascity.com/news/local/article19121754.html It’s a step in the right direction. But we will watch to see if it leads to more Vatican action to hold complicit bishops accountable. Because much more needs to be done.
In September 2012, Finn was convicted of failing to report suspected child abuse, a misdemeanor, after he learned of child pornography fo…

Finally,
Pope Francis did something about one of the world’s most notorious and noxious
examples of clergy pedophilia cover up: he accepted the resignation of
criminally convicted Kansas City-St. Joseph Bishop Robert W. Finn today. It’s
a step in the right direction. But we will watch to see if it leads to more
Vatican action to hold complicit bishops accountable. Because much more needs
to be done.In September 2012, Finn was convicted of failing to report
suspected child abuse, a misdemeanor, after he learned of child pornography found
on the computer of a priest, Shawn Ratigan. …

Last week, Bishop John LeVoir and the Diocese of New Ulm, Minnesota released an online video discussing, and apologizing to Survivors for, the terrible harm caused by clergy sexual abuse. LeVoir said in the video that he has learned from listening to Survivors that sexual abuse by clergy results in a “hurt so great that it never goes away.” Unfortunately, LeVoir follows up what appears to be a sincere, heartfelt apology to Survivors with an invitation to them to return to the church. Bishop LeVoir says that returning to the church is in fact the only way for Survivors to heal.

In thirty years of representing Survivors of clergy sexual abuse I have learned that the Catholic Church knew it had a problem with sexual abuse long before anyone in the unsuspecting public did. Bishops like John LeVoir have encountered Survivors of sexual abuse for decades and presumably learned of its terrible effects and the severity of the harm it causes.

Last week, Bishop John LeVoir and the Diocese of New Ulm, Minnesota released an online video discussing, and apologizing to Survivors for, the terrible harm caused by clergy sexual abuse. LeVoir said in the video that he has learned from listening to Survivors that sexual abuse by clergy results in a “hurt so great that it never goes away.” Unfortunately, LeVoir follows up what appears to be a sincere, heartfelt apology to Survivors with an invitation to them to return to the church.

The Capuchin Franciscan Province of St. Joseph has announced that Father Robert Harrison OFM cap has admitted to sexually abusing minors under his care.  The fact that a Roman Catholic priest has sexually violated a child while standing in loco parentis is not new.What is new is that Father Robert Harrison OFM cap went undetected for half a century.  Ordained in 1964, Father Harrison was well trained by the Hierarchy.  Father Robert studied philosophy, theology, social work and law.  Harrison was given the tools to detect weaknesses, select a vulnerable child and conceal…

While details regarding allegations of child sexual abuse by actor Stephen Collins are still emerging, his portrayal of a sexually abusive priest in the short film “Penance” eerily foreshadows the allegations he now faces off screen and also touches on a misconception still held by some.  According to a report in the Los Angeles Times the film was made in 2013 before the secret audio recording obtained by his wife was released to the public.  The secret audio recording allegedly includes admissions by Collins of sexual impropriety with minors.  Some have alleged that Collins use…