January 23, 2015 – Diocese of St. Cloud Statement Regarding Court’s Summary Judgment

 

January 23, 2015

DIOCESE OF ST. CLOUD STATEMENT REGARDING COURT’S SUMMARY JUDGMENT

The Diocese of St. Cloud received notice today of the Seventh Judicial District Court’s decision to dismiss a nuisance claim against the diocese in a case alleging sexual abuse by James Thoennes in the mid-1960s.

“While I welcome today’s decision by the court, I continue to pray for all victims of clergy sexual abuse, and I remain committed to providing pastoral assistance to help them find justice and healing,” St. Cloud Bishop Donald Kettler said.

In granting the diocese’s motion for summary judgment, the court noted that the plaintiff and the diocese previously settled all claims related to the case in 1995. As the diocese has stated previously, Thoennes, a priest of the Saint Cloud Diocese, does not have faculties to serve publicly as a priest and currently lives in St. Cloud under restrictions.

Bishop Kettler encourages all victims of abuse to come forward. Contact information for victim advocates and county officials to whom abuse can be reported is available online at: https://stcdio.org/about/safe-environment/how-to-report-abuse.