St. Paul police investigators are asking for victims of abuse from the Catholic Church to come forward.
"We want to hear from you. We want to hear your story," said Cmdr. Mary Nash, of the family and sexual violence unit.
The appeal comes as St. Paul police continue to investigate
allegations of sexual misconduct by a priest and a cover-up by the
Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis.
Last week, police reopened their investigation
into allegations that Rev. Jonathan Shelley had pornography on his
computer, including images of possible child pornography.
Despite the
allegations, the Archdiocese did not tell police and let Shelley keep
working.
The man who purchased Shelley's computer at a church rummage sale and
initially notified church officials about the content.
Recently, he
found backup copies and turned them over to police.
Police have declined to say why they reopened the case, but they do believe victims of sex abuse may be in the area.
"I'm speaking to those victims," Nash said. "If you have been
sexually abused by a member of the clergy in St. Paul, the St. Paul
Police Department encourages you to come forward and report sexual abuse
directly to the St. Paul Police Department. We want to hear from you
and we want to hear your story."
Police declined to say if their investigation is only limited to
Shelley, and would not comment on whether they are investigating
additional priests or clergy members -- only that there is a reason to
keep digging.