<p><a class="highslide" href="http://churchandstate.org.uk/wordpressRM/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/Archbishop-Robert-carlson.png" getparams="null"></a> </p><p>St. Louis Archbishop Says He Didn’t Know It Was Illegal
For Priests To Have Sex With Kids </p><p><!-- beginning of the subheading plugin -->
</p><h4>“I’m not sure whether I knew it was a crime or not,” said St. Louis
Archbishop Robert Carlson, who is part of a lawsuit accusing more than 100
priests and church employees of sex abuse. “I understand today it’s a
crime.”</h4><p><!-- /end of the subheading plugin -->
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<div class="atclear"></div></div><p> </p><p style="color: rgb(85, 85, 85); margin-top: 15px;"><em>By Alison Vingiano | 10 June
2014<br><a href="http://www.buzzfeed.com/alisonvingiano/st-louis-archbishop-says-he-didnt-know-it-was-illegal-for-pr"><u><font color="#0066cc">BuzzFeed</font></u></a>
</em></p><p> </p><p><a class="highslide" href="http://churchandstate.org.uk/wordpressRM/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/Archbishop-Robert-carlson.png" getparams="null"><img width="590" height="330" title="St. Louis Archbishop Robert Carlson" class="alignleft size-full wp-image-48313" alt="" src="https://img1.daumcdn.net/relay/cafe/original/?fname=http%3A%2F%2Fchurchandstate.org.uk%2FwordpressRM%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2014%2F06%2FArchbishop-Robert-carlson-e1402415500431.png"></a>
<div style="clear: both;"></div><p> </p><p style="margin-top: 16px;">An archbishop from St. Louis testified last month
that he “wasn’t sure” if he knew it was illegal for priests to have sex with
children.</p><p> </p><p>Robert Carlson, now a 69-year-old archbishop in St. Louis but formerly an
auxiliary bishop in the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis, gave a
deposition last month for a lawsuit that claims the Minnesota Archdiocese and
the Diocese of Winona caused a “public nuisance” by not disclosing information
on abusive priests, the MPR news <a href="http://www.mprnews.org/story/2014/06/09/archbishop-carlson-deposition"><u><font color="#0066cc">first
reported</font></u></a>.</p><p> </p><p>Carlson additionally faces a clergy abuse lawsuit as part of the Archdiocese
of St. Louis, where more than 100 priests and church employees have been accused
of sexual abuse, the St. Louis Dispatch <a href="http://www.stltoday.com/lifestyles/faith-and-values/archbishop-robert-j-carlson-claims-he-was-unaware-sexual-abuse/article_4215ecea-3409-53b3-813b-545c81a1b793.html"><u><font color="#0066cc">reports</font></u></a>.
Carlson has served as archbishop there since 2009.</p><p> </p><p>During the deposition last month, attorney Jeff Anderson asked Carlson if he
knew it was a crime for an adult to engage in sexual acts with a child.</p><p> </p><p><iframe width="560" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/upW7SHAjSEA" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe></p><p> </p><p>But documents released Monday by Anderson <a href="http://www.stltoday.com/lifestyles/faith-and-values/archbishop-robert-j-carlson-claims-he-was-unaware-sexual-abuse/article_4215ecea-3409-53b3-813b-545c81a1b793.html"><u><font color="#0066cc">seem
to show</font></u></a> that Carlson knew sex abuse was a crime.</p><p> </p><p>In a 1984 letter to the archbishop of St. Paul and Minneapolis, John Roach,
Carlson discussed one sex abuse victim and the statute of limitations regarding
that case.</p><p> </p><p>Carlson admitted during the deposition that while he never reported sex abuse
himself, he did encourage parents to report sex abuse to police on at least one
occasion.</p><p> </p><p>“I think in everything we do, once we’ve experienced it, we reflect on our
actions and we ask what we can do better,” Carlson said. “I think we did a
pretty good job. Obviously, based on some 25 years later, I would do it
differently.”</p><p> </p><p>Carlson has reportedly been involved in handling sexual abuse cases in
Minnesota for 15 years.</p><p> </p><p style="margin-top: 25px;">Be sure to <a href="https://www.facebook.com/networkforchurchmonitoring"><u><font color="#0066cc">‘like’ us on
Facebook</font></u></a></p><p><a href="http://churchandstate.org.uk/2014/06/st-louis-archbishop-claims-he-wasnt-sure-it-was-illegal-for-priests-to-have-sex-with-kids/">http://churchandstate.org.uk/2014/06/st-louis-archbishop-claims-he-wasnt-sure-it-was-illegal-for-priests-to-have-sex-with-kids/</a></p><p> </p>
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