The context here is that he has been deposed as part of a lawsuit against the Twin Cities archdiocese and the Diocese of Winona, Minnesota due to sexual abuse of children by clerics because at the time he chancellor of that Archdiocese.
What we know is that in 1984 at the time of the events in question, he was told of an accusation against a parish priest, Rev. Thomas Adamson, who was already a known abuser. Carlson confronted Adamson and he admitted committing sexual abuse against children and “agreed that it probably would be first-degree criminal sexual contact” – note that the important point here is that Carlson clearly recognised that this was not simply a moral issue, but a legal matter, a crime that should involve the police.
So what did Carlson do then, report it to the police? (you can guess the answer I suspect)
He covered it all up.
Really?
Yes.
Now here is a recent video that has released by the St. Paul law firm Jeff Anderson & Associates. In it the Catholic archbishop is asked whether he had known it was a crime for an adult to engage in sex with a child, and he answers as follows …(prepare for your jaw to hit the floor) …
“I’m not sure whether I knew it was a crime or not,” Carlson responded. “I understand today it’s a crime.”
So this supposed representative of god on earth, a chap who was not just your average believer, but a cleric for clerics, a Bishop no less back in 1984, a role that demands that he gives moral guidance to all (it’s in the job description … right?), was at the same time now wants us to believe that he was at that time unable to work out that adults buggering and abusing small children was a crime. Now remember, this is not an offhand remark out of context, he is in the video above under oath and is being directly asked the question.
This leads to a rather obvious question for some.
If you are a Catholic, then I must ask … why?
Links