Archbishop Carlson Deposed in Lawsuit against Priest

By Tim Townsend
St. Louis Post-Dispatch
September 19, 2013

http://www.stltoday.com/news/local/crime-and-courts/archbishop-carlson-deposed-in-lawsuit-against-priest/article_cc9b56c6-3e10-58c8-b6fe-1a598a67a99a.html

Rev. Xiu Hui “Joseph” Jiang

Officials of the St. Louis Archdiocese said while they appreciate the interest in Archbishop Robert Carlson’s deposition in a lawsuit involving one of its priests, “this process is in the hands of the Missouri court system and it is important that we allow the process to unfold there where allegation and hypothetical can be sorted out as fact or fiction.”

Carlson was deposed Thursday in relation to criminal charges in Lincoln County against the Rev. Xiu Hui “Joseph” Jiang.

Jiang, 30, was charged with first-degree endangering the welfare of a child in June 2012 after a teenage girl who had described him as a family friend told police Jiang had molested her.

In July, the girl’s parents filed a lawsuit alleging that Carlson knew Jiang was a danger to children before Jiang was charged by police last year.

The archdiocese has called those allegations “false.”

In a statement last year, the archdiocese said Jiang had been placed on administrative leave after officials learned about the allegations.

It also said none of the alleged abuse had taken place at the Cathedral Basilica, where Jiang worked at the time, or on archdiocesan property.

On Thursday, the archdiocesan officials said Carlson’s deposition was “consistent with the archdiocese’s willingness to cooperate fully with authorities in these matters.”

Contact: ttownsend@post-dispatch.com