The former abbot of St. John’s Abbey knew it was a risk to transfer a priest accused of sexually abusing students to a teaching position at a Twin Cities school, internal abbey documents show.
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\nFormer students of the Rev. Dunstan Moorse say he sexually abused them when he was a teacher at St. John’s Preparatory School in Collegeville. At least two former students have successfully sued the abbey over the allegations.<\/p>\n
KSTP-TV reported Thursday that former Abbot Jerome Theisen, who died in 1995, indicated in a letter that he knew about allegations against Moorse before sending him to Benilde-St. Margaret High School in St. Louis Park in the late 1980s.<\/p>\n
There have been no publicly-disclosed allegations that Moorse abused children at the high school. Moorse now resides in the Collegeville abbey, where his movements are restricted by the current abbot.<\/p>\n
An abbey spokesman declined to comment to KSTP on the documents. The spokesman did not return a telephone call Thursday night from The Associated Press.<\/p>\n
The letter in Theisen’s files described a meeting between Moorse and Theisen in 1987. “We spoke briefly about Benilde. I said that I wanted him to teach there. I know it is a risk,” Theisen wrote.<\/p>\n
St. Paul attorney Jeffery Anderson, who has filed many lawsuits against the Catholic church, said, “This is a clear demonstration of the Abbot, or his lieutenant saying, ‘Look, we know he’s a risk for offending kids but we’re going to take it.”‘<\/p>\n
A year after being transferred to Benilde, Moorse asked to return to St. John’s, but Theisen decided not to do that.<\/p>\n
Report: Documents Show Abbot Transferred Accused Priest to School
\nAssociated Press State & Local Wire
\nMay 16, 2002<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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