The Church will not tolerate the sexual abuse of minors, Archbishop Justin Rigali said in an interview with the Review April 12.
Archbishop Rigali said the Church deeply regrets and apologizes for actions in the past and will not take any chances in the assignment of priests with substantiated allegations of abuse.
The Archbishop called sexual abuse a crime. He encouraged victims to report it to authorities and said that the archdiocese, when there is an allegation of abuse of someone who is currently a minor, has contacted and will in the future continue to report the allegations to the Missouri Division of Family Services for further investigation and possible criminal charges.
The Archbishop spoke about his interviews with local media, the role of settlements and confidentiality agreements with victims, the status of priests who have committed abuse, the role of celibacy and the impact of the abuse cases on vocations efforts, the archdiocese and his ministry.
