MINNESOTA
Star Tribune
Article by: KELLY SMITH , Star Tribune Updated: October 19, 2013
The former archbishop is the second high-profile official to step down from the Catholic university’s board.
Another top Catholic church official has left the University of St. Thomas board of trustees in the wake of widespread questions about the handling of priest sex abuse investigations.
The university announced Saturday that the Rev. Harry Flynn, former archbishop of the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis and chairman of the board since 1995, has retired.
The board of trustees accepted the resignation on Thursday, according to a university statement. The board elected as interim chair Michael Dougherty, a St. Thomas trustee since 2003 and chief executive officer of Dougherty Financial Group LLC in Minneapolis.
“On behalf of the board of trustees, I want to thank Archbishop Flynn for his many years of dedicated service to the board and to the university,” Dougherty said in a statement.
Flynn’s exit follows the resignation from the St. Thomas board earlier this month of the Rev. Kevin McDonough, a former vicar general who was closely involved in the handling of three controversial sexual misconduct investigations of fellow priests. The St. Thomas board expects to elect a permanent chair and vice chair at its Feb. 13 meeting.
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