Judge: Archdiocese must make abuse papers public
Published 9:57 am Wednesday, March 19, 2014
ST. PAUL — A judge has ruled that the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis must make public its documents on priests credibly accused of sexually abusing children.
The archdiocese requested those files be sealed. But Ramsey County Judge John Van de North denied the motion Tuesday.
The ruling paves the way for the release of thousands of pages of documents on priests who were credibly charged with abusing children from 1970 to 1985.
Van de North ordered that the documents be provided by March 31.
The order relates to priests credibly accused of child sex abuse, but not to priests who had been accused. Those files will remain under seal.
In a statement, the archdiocese says the ruling is consistent with the judge’s previous rulings.