An American archbishop has testified that he is unsure whether he knew in the 1980s that sexual abuse of a child by a priest was a crime.
But a statement from St Louis archdiocese has hit out at coverage of Archbishop Robert Carlson’s remarks, saying they were taken out of context.
During a court deposition last month, Archbishop Carlson was questioned about the period when he was an auxiliary bishop in Minnesota several decades ago.
Attorney Jeffrey Anderson asked the archbishop if he knew an adult engaging in sex with a child was a crime.
“I’m not sure whether I knew it was a crime or not,” Archbishop Carlson replied.
“I understand today it’s a crime,” he said.
The archdiocese’s statement said Archbishop Carlson was responding to a question about mandatory reporting of child abuse in Minnesota, which became effective in 1988.
The deposition transcript shows Mr Anderson asking a double question about mandatory reporting and the archbishop’s knowledge of whether child abuse was a crime.
This drew an objection from the archbishop’s attorney.
Mr Anderson then rephrased: “Archbishop, you knew it was a crime for an adult to engage in sex with a kid?”
The deposition was part of a lawsuit against Twin Cities archdiocese and Winona diocese.
When asked when he first realised it was a crime for an adult — including a priest — to have sex with a child, Archbishop Carlson said “I don’t remember” .
Mr Anderson, who is representing an alleged clergy abuse victim, released documents showing that, in 1984, then-Bishop Carlson was aware of the seriousness of child abuse allegations.
The then-auxiliary bishop wrote to his archbishop that parents of an alleged victim were planning to go to police.
Archbishop Carlson admitted that during his time in St Paul and Minneapolis he never personally went to police, even when clergy admitted inappropriate behaviour.
But he encouraged parents to do so at least once, he said.
In his testimony, Archbishop Carlson responded 193 times that he did not recall abuse-related conversations from the 1980s to mid-1990s.
A deposition from 1987 has another bishop, now deceased, saying he was advised by Carlson to answer “I don’t remember” if questioned in court.
Archbishop Carlson said he had no knowledge of that discussion, but added he wouldn’t have given that advice.
Sources
National Catholic Reporter (Original story)
National Catholic Reporter (Rebuttal)
Image: St Louis Today