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Religion and Faith

For an abusive priest, retirement income came with a premium

For an abusive priest, retirement income came with a premium

The former accounting director of the Twin Cities archdiocese said recently that several accused priests receive pension payments higher than normal. Another former church official discovered them, too, over the past few years and had them stopped. The archdiocese says church law requires that offending priests must have 'financial, therapeutic and spiritual support.' The Rev. Robert Kapoun is one of them.

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From the archives: Polka Padre Kapoun resigns over abuse

From the archives: Polka Padre Kapoun resigns over abuse

From the archives: Archbishop Harry Flynn said today that the Rev. Robert Kapoun is resigning as priest of a Prior Lake parish. A Hennepin County jury is expected to decide soon if the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis should pay punitive damages to a 28-year-old Prior Lake man who says he was molested by Kapoun.
by Dan Olson

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Islamic Center president says plan for new facility is not abandoned

Plans for a new Islamic Center in St. Cloud are on hold after the center's president withdrew the proposal at a City Council meeting Monday. Islamic Center of St. Cloud President Abdulrashid Salad joined Tom Crann to discuss what's next for his organization.
by Tom Crann

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Church whistleblower pressed superiors to take action on problem priests

Church whistleblower pressed superiors to take action on problem priests

In the past two weeks an MPR News investigation has reported extensively on the handling of clergy sex abuse by the Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis. A key source in those stories is a former high ranking church official who says she pushed for the church to change its ways and then resigned when it didn't. Jennifer Haselberger has now become a central figure in this unfolding story.
by Madeleine Baran

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Gobble tov! American Jews ready for 'Thanksgivukkah'

An extremely rare convergence this year of Thanksgiving and the start of Hanukkah has created a frenzy of Talmudic proportions.

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New documents show Church debated legality of priest's pornography

New documents show Church debated legality of priest's pornography

New documents related to a Twin Cities priest found to have pornography on his computer show that archdiocesan leaders debated internally for a year whether the images met the legal definition of child pornography. They also provide a closer look at how past and present leaders decided to keep the matter quiet and keep the priest in ministry.

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Victims group dismisses archdiocese review of clergy sexual abuse cases as 'nothing but a smokescreen'

Victims group dismisses archdiocese review of clergy sexual abuse cases as 'nothing but a smokescreen'

A Saturday letter from the Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis asked priests to tell parishioners during Mass this weekend about Archbishop John Nienstedt's formation of a lay task force that will review the handling of clergy sexual misconduct.
by Tom Scheck, Madeleine Baran and Mike Cronin

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Nienstedt orders review of church handling of clergy sexual abuse

Nienstedt orders review of church handling of clergy sexual abuse

The archdiocese urged priests to announce at mass this weekend that Archbishop John Nienstedt has appointed the Rev. Reginald Whitt, a Dominican priest and University of St. Thomas law professor, to lead the creation of a task force to review all issues related to clergy misconduct.
by Tom Scheck

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Former Archdiocese official pushes for independent review of priest files

Former Archdiocese official pushes for independent review of priest files

In a publicly released statement, Jennifer Haselberger asked Archbishop John Nienstedt to allow an independent review of clergy files and "make public the list of clergy who have been determined to have engaged in acts of sexual misconduct, as well as those whom could reasonably be assumed to pose a threat to children and young people."
by Madeleine Baran

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