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Financial Compensation Not Disclosed, Public Apology Coming
POSTED: 8:20 a.m. CDT September 27, 2002
UPDATED: 3:44 p.m. CDT September 27, 2002
An agreement apparently reached in mediation weeks ago has St. John's Abbey settling lawsuits and other legal claims regarding past sexual abuse of parishioners and students.
The settlement will be discussed during an early afternoon news conference on the abbey grounds in Collegeville, which is expected to include an apology from St. John's Abbot John Klassen.
The agreement is being called a broad financial settlement that includes an undisclosed amount of cash to compensate victims -- many of whom were abused by abbey priests and monks as young parishioners and students decades ago -- along with reforms to prevent future abuse, according to a broadcast report.
In addition to the safeguards and compensation, attorney Jeffrey Anderson said the agreement holds the abbey accountable for the problems caused by the abusers.
It was back in April -- amid a national focus on spreading allegations of decades of sexual abuse by priests and monks -- that St. John's Abbey became the Minnesota epicenter of the allegations.
The initial reports surfaced when Klassen sent a letter to officials of St. John's University, students and abbey members that one of his predecessors admitted to abusing former students in the 1970s, and lawsuits in the cases had been settled.
He also revealed that the monk involved -- the Rev. John Eidenschink -- was among 15 monks and priests cloistered among restricted living in a monastery on abbey grounds.
In the weeks that followed, newspapers published reports and television station newsrooms aired stories that deepened the scandal, including reports that accused priests were sent to teach at a metro area parochial school without telling officials of his past.
There were also stories that St. Cloud police investigators sought personnel information on priests for comparison to some high-profile, decades-old unsolved murders of children.
Throughout, Klassen was cooperative, allowing access to the files, offering abuse information online, taking part in public meetings and discussions and, now, settling claims and offering apologies and some resolution for victims.
Klassen will be involved in the 1 p.m. Friday news conference.
The settlement will be discussed during an early afternoon news conference on the abbey grounds in Collegeville, which is expected to include an apology from St. John's Abbot John Klassen.
The agreement is being called a broad financial settlement that includes an undisclosed amount of cash to compensate victims -- many of whom were abused by abbey priests and monks as young parishioners and students decades ago -- along with reforms to prevent future abuse, according to a broadcast report.
In addition to the safeguards and compensation, attorney Jeffrey Anderson said the agreement holds the abbey accountable for the problems caused by the abusers.
It was back in April -- amid a national focus on spreading allegations of decades of sexual abuse by priests and monks -- that St. John's Abbey became the Minnesota epicenter of the allegations.
The initial reports surfaced when Klassen sent a letter to officials of St. John's University, students and abbey members that one of his predecessors admitted to abusing former students in the 1970s, and lawsuits in the cases had been settled.
He also revealed that the monk involved -- the Rev. John Eidenschink -- was among 15 monks and priests cloistered among restricted living in a monastery on abbey grounds.
In the weeks that followed, newspapers published reports and television station newsrooms aired stories that deepened the scandal, including reports that accused priests were sent to teach at a metro area parochial school without telling officials of his past.
There were also stories that St. Cloud police investigators sought personnel information on priests for comparison to some high-profile, decades-old unsolved murders of children.
Throughout, Klassen was cooperative, allowing access to the files, offering abuse information online, taking part in public meetings and discussions and, now, settling claims and offering apologies and some resolution for victims.
Klassen will be involved in the 1 p.m. Friday news conference.
Previous Stories:
- July 2, 2002: St. John's Web Site Offers Sex Abuse Info
- June 7, 2002: St. John's Abuse Allegations Hit Court
- May 17, 2002: Accused Priest Transferred To Benilde
- May 14, 2002: St. John's Warned About Priest In '94
- May 1, 2002: Sex Abuse Details Emerge At St. John's
Copyright 2002 by Channel 4000. The Associated Press contributed to this report. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
