Lawsuit claims church protected abusive Salesian priest with transfers to 3 continents

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"Trust Us"

By Patrick Noaker

We seem to hear “trust us” a lot from religious institutions when it comes to the handling of the sexual abuse crisis. The lawsuits filed today seem to add to the growing mountain of evidence casting doubt on the trustworthiness of the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis.
For starters, it is difficult to trust any organization that intimidates children into not reporting sexual abuse. In the case that was filed today in St. Paul, MN against the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis, one of the Plaintiffs actually reported that Fr. Thomas Stitts was having sexual contact with him to his grade school principal. In response, the kid was called deranged and mentally unstable for making such an outrageous claim against the good father. This is the seventh known case against Fr. Stitts.
In addition, it is difficult to trust any organization that admits that they have 33 child molesters as current or former employees, but refuses to provide the identities of any of them.
So far, I am not seeing a lot to trust.

Video from press conference here

2 More Men Claim Abuse by St. Paul Priest - Star Tribune 6/29/10 for more on this story click here

Two More Men Sue Archdiocese Over Alleged Abuse by Hastings Priest – Pioneer Press 6/29/10 for more on this story click here

U.S. Supreme Court Denies Vatican’s Request, Allows Case to Proceed

Like it or not, the Holy See and Church leaders will now be forced to answer to the judicial branch of the United States Government. In an historic decision made public today, the U.S. Supreme Court rejected the Vatican’s petition to hear the case of John V. Doe versus Holy See, and thereby ruled that the case proceed in federal district court.

This is a major legal breakthrough for advocates nationwide, but more important, a validation of the courage and conviction demonstrated by survivors of sexual abuse throughout the world. We applaud these survivors, bow in deep admiration to their character, and celebrate with them this monumental step in the course of a long, painful journey.

What we seek is simple: truth and accountability. Truth will manifest when the Vatican releases files kept on all sexually abusive priests. Accountability will manifest when all clergy who have committed crimes against children have been removed from duty. These are grand expectations to have of an institution so steeped in secrecy and denial, we know. But thanks to this heroic decision by Supreme Court Justices -- to let the case proceed – our mission is now empowered by the most progressive and righteous justice system in the world. The tides have turned and the truth will be delivered.