Friday, June 5, 2015

Min. Cath. Arch. Is Charged in Sex Abuse Case; Failed to Discipline Priest Who Abused Children

Prosecutors in Minnesota filed criminal charges today (June 5, 2015) against the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis, accusing church leaders of mishandling repeated complaints of sexual misconduct against a priest and failing to follow through on pledges to protect children and root out pedophile clergymen, the NY Times website reports.

The charges and accompanying civil petition -- announced by the Ramsey County prosecutor, John Choi -- stem from accusations by three male victims who say that from 2008 to 2010, when they were under age, a local priest, Curtis Wehmeyer, now 50, gave them alcohol and drugs before sexually assaulting them.

The criminal case amounts to a sweeping condemnation of the Minnesota archdiocese and how its leaders have handled abuse allegations -- even after reforms were put into place by church leaders to increase accountability.

Wehmeyer -- who was dismissed as a priest in March -- was sentenced to five years in a Minnesota prison in 2013 for criminal sexual conduct and possession of child pornography. He has also been charged with sex crimes in Wisconsin.

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