For Minn. Catholics, Troubling New Abuse Scandal
By AMY FORLITI and PATRICK CONDON Associated Press
When Jennifer Haselberger uncovered what looked like recent, troubling sexual behavior by several Minnesota priests — a stash of possible child pornography on one priest's computer hard drive, another with a well-documented history of sexual compulsion still leading a parish — she tried to ring alarm bells at the top ranks of the St. Paul-Minneapolis Archdiocese.
But Haselberger, who resigned last April as the archdiocese's chancellor for canonical affairs, said she felt ignored. She has since gone public with concerns that Minnesota's archbishop and top deputies failed to truly reform how they handle problem priests, despite repeated promises to do so.
"I do not believe it can be said that the archdiocese is honoring its promise to protect" children and young people, Haselberger said last week in a statement to the media.
Unlike many of the abuse revelations that have rocked the U.S. Catholic Church, the allegations Haselberger brought to light aren't decades old or involve perpetrators long retired or dead. They all happened after 2002, when U.S. bishops held a high-profile meeting in Dallas and approved broad policy changes meant to quickly remove predatory priests from parishes and restore the church's tattered credibility with millions of Catholics.
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http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/police-reopen-investigation-minn-priests-porn-20509114
