At a press conference, attorney Jeff Anderson and advocate Patrick Wall discussed a newly filed lawsuit alleging sexual abuse by Father Francis Hoefgen and naming the Saint Luke Institute as a defendant. The lawsuit alleges that Hoefgen was a known offender who had previously admitted to sexual abuse, was sent for treatment at Saint Luke Institute, and was later returned to ministry where he allegedly continued to abuse children. The suit claims church officials and treatment programs allowed known offenders to return to ministry without warning communities.
Speakers said the case highlights what they described as a pattern of handling abuse allegations by sending priests to treatment facilities and then reassigning them without public disclosure. They called for the release of additional files and names of clergy offenders and urged anyone with information or who may have been harmed to contact law enforcement rather than church officials. The press conference emphasized transparency, accountability, and the protection of children.