New Lawsuit Alleges Abuse at St. Catherine’s Indian School

According to The Santa Fe New Mexican, on March 29 a new lawsuit was filed against the Church alleging that the Church had knowledge of priests abusing students at St. Catherine’s Indian School but never took legal action. There is also documentation in the form of a letter from a priest to the archbishop and the pope that suggests there may have been up to 70 victims.

Though the case was originally set to be a part of the Archdiocese bankruptcy, case lawyers filed a civil case against the order Franciscan Friars and Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament. The case is being filed against them instead of the Archdiocese because, due to the bankruptcy filing, the Santa Fe Archdiocese is immune from cases that are not part of the bankruptcy proceedings.

The school was home to about 90 Native American boys each year. Friars were responsible for the welfare of the children and lived alongside them in the dormitories. The lawsuit alleges that there was at least one priest, Christopher Kerr, whose deviant behaviors were not addressed. According to the lawsuit, Kerr, who was accused of abusing the boys, was removed from the school after being found naked and drunk in the school showers.

Despite the presence of documentation that implies sexual abuse of children at the school, the lawsuit alleges that certain priests were not included in the Archdiocese’ list of credibly accused.

Aside from the punitive damages, the lawsuit seeks to publish all of the documentation that will be used in litigation.

The issue of transparency in these issues has been at the forefront for victim advocates because the church has tended to settle cases out of court and have victims sign nondisclosure agreements to keep the scandals quiet.

According to the Archdiocese’ FAQ section on their website, they do not release the personnel files of credibly accused priests because they are legally obligated to keep these private and to protect the privacy of the victims. The website also reads, “Remember that subject priests have not been found guilty, but only credibly accused, and are removed from ministry in an abundance of caution.”

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