DE PERE – St. Norbert Abbey, under pressure to deal with a history of abusive clergy, has identified two more Norbertine priests who sexually abused minors in the 1960s and 80s.
The newly named priests include former Abbot Benjamin Mackin, who led the Catholic order in De Pere from 1982 to 1994. A review by an independent board substantiated claims that Mackin sexually assaulted minors in the 1980s while abuse by Arnold Schinkten occurred in 1962, according to a news release from the abbey Thursday.
Both men are dead.
Mackin and Schinkten join 22 other Norbertine priests who have substantiated allegations of sexual abuse against them. The abbey first published its list in July 2019 after the organization Praesidium investigated files dating as far back as 1966 and found incidents of abuse from the 1940s to the 1990s.
By Rob Sussman
St. Norbert Abbey Feb 5, 2021 Photo by Mike Roemer
DE PERE, WI (WTAQ) Two more Norbertine Preists have been added to the list of those with substantiated abuse claims against minors.
St. Norbert Abbot Dane Radecki announced Thursday credible claims against Arnold Schinkten dating to 1962 and Benjamin Mackin dating back to the 1980s. Both men are now deceased.
The Abbey will also conduct a second file review.
The abuse claims are the result of new information shared with the Abbey late last year and early this year.