- Archbishop Robert Carlson was chancellor of the Archdiocese of Minneapolis and St. Paul in the 1980s
- He has been deposed as part of a sexual abuse lawsuit in Minnesota involving the archdiocese and the Diocese of Winona
- In a testimony filmed last month he was asked whether he had known it was a crime for an adult to engage in sex with a child in the 1980s
- 'I'm not sure whether I knew it was a crime or not,' he responded
A St Louis
archbishop embroiled in a sexual abuse scandal has claimed he didn’t
know it was illegal for priests to have sex with children in the 1980s,
according to a court deposition released on Monday.
Archbishop
Robert Carlson, who was chancellor of the Archdiocese of Minneapolis
and St. Paul at the time, was deposed as part of a sexual abuse lawsuit
in Minnesota involving the archdiocese and the Diocese of Winona.
In
a testimony filmed last month and released by the St. Paul law firm
Jeff Anderson & Associates, the Catholic archbishop was asked
whether he had known it was a crime for an adult to engage in sex with a
child.
 |
| Archbishop Robert Carlson, who was chancellor of the Archdiocese of Minneapolis and St. Paul in the 1980s, has been deposed as part of a sexual abuse lawsuit in Minnesota involving the archdiocese and the Diocese of Winona |
‘I’m not sure whether I knew it was a crime or not,’ Carlson responded. ‘I understand today it’s a crime.’
When
asked when he first realized it was a crime for an adult - including
priests - to have sex with a child, Carlson, 69, shook his head.
‘I don’t remember,’ he testified.
Yet
according to other documents released by attorney Jeff Anderson, who is
representing an alleged clergy abuse victim, Carlson showed clear
knowledge that sexual abuse was a crime when discussing incidents with
church officials during his time in Minnesota.
In
a 1984 document, for example, Carlson wrote to the then-archbishop of
St. Paul and Minneapolis - John R. Roach - about one victim of sexual
abuse and mentioned that the statute of limitations for filing a claim
would not expire for more than two years.
 |
| 'I don't remember': When asked when he first realized it was a crime for an adult - including priests - to have sex with a child, Carlson, 69, shook his head |
He also wrote that the parents of the victim were considering reporting the incident to the police.
Carlson’s
role at the time was to investigate abuse claims. He admitted in his
deposition that he never personally went to police, even when a clergy
member admitted to inappropriate behavior.
In the testimony, Carlson responded 193 times that he did not recall abuse-related conversations from the 1980s to mid-1990s.
Carlson also said that even in 1996 he did not know that pedophilia was a disorder that couldn’t be cured.
“I did not know that, but as a pastor, I was becoming increasingly concerned,” Carlson said.
 |
| Carlson left the Archdiocese of Minneapolis and St. Paul in 1994, and eventually became St. Louis archbishop in 2009 |
Carlson left the Archdiocese of Minneapolis and St. Paul in 1994, and eventually became St. Louis archbishop in 2009.
The
Archdiocese of St. Louis said in a statement on Monday that Carlson had
given testimony ‘several times many years ago’ about the same
allegations.
‘In
this most recent deposition, while not being able to recall his
knowledge of the law exactly as it was many decades ago, the Archbishop
did make clear that he knows child sex abuse is a crime today,’ the
statement said.
‘The
question does not address the Archbishop’s moral stance on the sin of
pedophilia, which has been that it is a most egregious offense.’
The trial against the Twin Cities archdiocese is set to begin in September.
Video: Archbishop Carlson is interviewed about sexual abuse allegations
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2654529/Archbishop-quizzed-sexual-abuse-lawsuit-claims-didnt-know-illegal-priests-sex-children-1980s.html#ixzz34sVXZULi
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