Catholic priests say sexual abuse law "violates their religious ->-bleeped-<--hit-catholic-priests-say-law-violates-their-religious-freedom/
Daniel Villarreal (25 March 2026)
Two separate women have pressed criminal charges against two Catholic priests, accusing Father Aaron Kuhn of sexual assault and Father Joseph Herzing of sexual abuse, respectively.
Minnesota law prohibits "improper sexual contact" by someone in a position of power over someone else, even if the person is of age and consents. As religious watchdog blogger Hemant Mehta explains, "The law says consent cannot truly be given in those circumstances due to the power imbalance," and it also applies to "a professor and a student, or a boss and an employee, or a therapist and a client."
The men's lawyer, Paul Engh, recently filed two separate motions to have those charges dismissed because, "punishing these men amounts to a violation of their religious freedom" since the law "expressly makes [them] guilty of crime because of [their] status as a priest." Engh also said the law unfairly punishes the men for sex they had while off-duty, though both women say that the sexual misconduct occurred within relationships that began while seeking spiritual advice.
As Mehta explains (emphasis his), "The state isn't going after these priests because they're religious; they're going after them because their job gives them authority over other people."
