St. Cloud Diocese hosting public meeting to address alleged sex assault

Allegations of sexual assault by a former Catholic Church deacon are prompting the St. Cloud Diocese to hold a public meeting Sunday.

Last month, allegations surfaced that the former deacon at the Church of the Holy Spirit in St. Cloud was involved in sexual misconduct decades ago. The diocese has specifically named Michael Weber as the man allegedly involved.

The alleged abuse took place between 1969 and 1970, sometime during the four or five months Weber was deacon at the church.

News reports say Weber has not been charged in connection with the abuse allegations.

Weber went on to hold various community roles, including chairman for the U.S. Advisory Board on Child Abuse and Neglect and president of the National Association of Public Child Welfare Administrators. After the allegations arose last month, Weber resigned from a volunteer mentoring role at St. John's University.

The church's listening session is open to the public. A notice in a church bulletin says the discussion is aimed at offering support and allowing other potential victims to "come forward and receive assistance and healing."