Victims group asks Twin Cities Archdiocese to add names of alleged abusers to its list

Battling wind and traffic, the Survivors Network of People Abused by Priests, or SNAP, held a news conference outside St. Paul's Cathedral. Their goal was to call on the local archdiocese to update its list of “credibly accused” abusers.

The group presented five names of former priests – two living and three deceased – who held positions within the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis, who have previously been found to be credibly accused of abuse by other Catholic entities, but not in the Twin Cities.

“Each of these five men is on a list, an official Church list, of clerics credibly accused of molesting children in another Catholic jurisdiction,” said former SNAP national director David Clohessy .

The Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis maintains an online list of clergy it employs who have come forward with credible allegations of sexual abuse. This includes those who were accused while working for the archdiocese and those who worked in the area at one time but were accused by a different entity.

The group claims that Bishop Bernard Hebda had plenty of time to investigate the priests cited and add them to the list.

“It would be tempting to think that Archbishop Hebda may have simply forgotten these names, but it is very difficult for us to believe that,” Clohessy said, adding that some priests were accused more than five years ago.

In a statement released today, Archbishop Hebda said he had asked investigators to “review clergy records” from the archdiocese, as well as other information, to determine whether the criteria were met to add men to the disclosure list.

“In accordance with our policy and protocol, we have already begun the process of investigating the names of the individuals presented today,” the statement said.

The group stressed the importance of adding living and deceased defendants to the list and wants the archdiocese to keep its past promises of accountability.

“I can speak for myself as a victim of abuse, the abuse is over, the physical abuse is over,” said Frank Meuers, head of Plymouth's SNAP support group. “But the abuse, the hurt, the pain never stops.”