Archbishop Robert J. Carlson claimed to be uncertain that he knew sexual abuse of a child by a priest constituted a crime when he was auxiliary bishop in the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis, MN. USA
http://www.stltoday.com/lifestyles/faith-and-values/archbishop-robert-j-carlson-claims-he-was-unaware-sexual-abuse/article_4215ecea-3409-53b3-813b-545c81a1b793.html Archbishop Robert J. Carlson claims to be uncertain if he knew sexual abuse was a crime Print Email 1 hour ago • By Lilly Fowler [email protected] 314-340-8221 159 WEDNESDAY, JUNE 10, 2009- Rev. Robert J. Carlson watches the procession leading into the Cathedral Basilica-St Louis Stephanie S. Cordle � [email protected] Enlarge Photo Related Documents 1984 Archbishop Robert J. Carlson memo St. Louis priest abuse case headed for trial Ambitious legal strategy will try to show that the archdiocese ignored a pattern of abuse. It will point to the fact that even before the St. … Read more Archbishop Robert J. Carlson claimed to be uncertain that he knew sexual abuse of a child by a priest constituted a crime when he was auxiliary bishop in the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis, according to a deposition released Monday. During the deposition taken last month, attorney Jeff Anderson asked Carlson whether he knew it was a crime for an adult to engage in sex with a child. “I'm not sure whether I knew it was a crime or not,” Carlson replied. “I understand today it's a crime.” Anderson went on to ask Carlson whether he knew in 1984, when he was an auxiliary bishop in the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis, that it was crime for a priest to engage in sex with a child. “I'm not sure if I did or didn't,” Carlson said. Yet according to documents released Monday by the law firm Jeff Anderson & Associates in St. Paul, Carlson showed clear knowledge that it was a crime when discussing sexual abuse incidents with church officials during his time in Minnesota. In a 1984 document, for example, Carlson wrote to the archbishop of St. Paul and Minneapolis at the time — 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. He also wrote that the parents of the victim were considering reporting the incident to the police.
Over and over again during the deposition, Carlson claimed to not remember answers to questions posed by attorney Anderson — for a total of 193 times.
Anderson took Carlson's deposition last month as part of a sexual abuse case in Minnesota involving the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis and the Diocese of Winona. The plaintiff in the case, only identified as “Doe 1,” claims to have been abused in the 1970s by the Rev. Thomas Adamson at St. Thomas Aquinas in St. Paul Park, Minn. Anderson also took Carlson's deposition for a priest sexual abuse case scheduled for trial July 7 in St. Louis. According to Anderson, Carlson was involved in handling sexual abuse cases in Minnesota for 15 years, yet never reported any incidents to the police. http://www.andersonadvocates.com/Posts/News-or-Event/1834/Archbishop-Carlson-Deposition-Release.aspx