Minnesota archdiocese knew of abusive priest's homosexual cruising, report charges

September 23, 2013

Minnesota Public Radio (MPR) reports that officials in the Archdiocese of St. Paul-Minneapolis were aware that a priest was engaged in homosexual activities, long before he was arrested on charges of molesting teenage boys.

Father Curtis Wehmeyer was arrested last year, pleaded guilty to sex-abuse charges, and was sentenced to a 5-year prison term. A prosecutor in the case said that the St. Paul archdiocese “did the right thing,” reporting abuse charges promptly to authorities.

However, MPR reveals that archdiocesan officials had been aware for years that Wehmeyer had engaged in homosexual behavior, cruising sites that were known spots for homosexual encounters. Still in 2011, Father Kevin McDonough, who headed the archdiocesan “safe environment” programs, recommended against “disclosure in his workplace”—that is, informing parish personnel—about Wehmeyer’s problems, reasoning that the priest had not targeted young people. "Nothing, nothing, nothing in this man's behavior known to us would have convinced any reasonable person that he was likely to harm kids," Father McDonough told MPR.

 

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Further information:

• Archdiocese knew of priest's sexual misbehavior, yet kept him in ministry (Minnesota Public Radio)