Lawsuit filed against New Ulm diocese
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A lawsuit filed in Brown County seeks the release of a list of 12 priests in the Diocese of New Ulm, Minn., credibly accused of sexually molesting children.
The suit alleges the New Ulm diocese and the Servants of the Paraclete, a religious order, neglected to supervise the Rev. Francis Markey, who worked in the diocese in the mid-1980s. The plaintiff, called John Doe 10, says Markey sexually abused him at St. Andrew Parish in Granite Falls, Minn., in 1982, when he was 8 years old.
• See also: The Twin Cities Archdiocese Under Scrutiny
Besides releasing the list of priests, the suit seeks damages of more than $50,000 on behalf of John Doe, who now lives in Nevada, said attorney Mike Finnegan. Markey, he added, was extradited to Ireland in 2010 to face sexual abuse charges but died in 2012 while waiting for a trial.
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The recent release of similar lists at the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis and St. John's Abbey should prompt New Ulm to do the same, Finnegan said.
In a statement, the New Ulm diocese said it regrets the long-lasting effects of sexual misconduct on the part of the clergy and is committed to helping sexual abuse victims. Diocese officials declined to comment beyond the written statement.
Finnegan is also pressing for the release of a similar list of 17 priests in the Diocese of Duluth who are credibly accused of sexually assaulting minors
The Diocese of Winona is expected to release its list of 13 credibly accused priests on Monday.