Archdiocese insider battles Catholic Church over sex abuse

[rug]

Archdiocese struggles with accusations by its former canon lawyer, Jennifer Haselberger, who has a long and accomplished history with the church.

Updated: October 14, 2013 - 5:54 AM
DAN BROWNING , Star Tribune

Jennifer Haselberger was five years into her “dream job” as a canon lawyer for the Catholic Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis when she alerted law enforcement officials last spring to what she believed was child pornography on a priest’s discarded computer.

Haselberger soon resigned, saying the church hierarchy ignored her entreaties to notify civil authorities. Today she is a central figure in an investigation that has engulfed the archdiocese anew in the searing issue of clergy sex abuse.

St. Paul police have said they saw no child porn among the more than 2,000 images they reviewed, leading a lawyer for the archdiocese to characterize Haselberger as “imprudent and unsophisticated.”

But those who know the 38-year-old whistleblower say she is anything but that. They describe Haselberger as savvy and fearless.

http://www.startribune.com/local/east/227537151.html

September MPR interview. (12:15 audio.)

http://minnesota.publicradio.org/radio/services/nis/listen/?name=/minnesota/news/features/2013/09/23/mprnews_130923_priest_20130923

[Fortinbras Armstrong]

1. When an in-house lawyer says "I see a problem"

Then anyone with the intelligence God gave cheese will take it seriously.