US archdiocese faces criminal charges over sex abuse

US prosecutors laid criminal charges against the Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis on Friday for its failure to protect children from sexual abuse at the hands of a disgraced priest. The archdiocese in the northern state of Minnesota is one of a number of Catholic institutions which has declared bankruptcy in the wake of massive payouts to the victims of clergy sex abuse. "We are alleging a disturbing institutional and systemic pattern of behavior committed by the highest levels of