Flynn leaves St. Thomas board amid questions about priest abuse investigations

MINNESOTA
Star Tribune

Article by: KELLY SMITH , Star Tribune Updated: October 20, 2013

The former Twin Cities archbishop is the second high-profile official to quit as a school trustee after questions about the handling of clergy abuse cases.

Former Archbishop Harry Flynn, who led the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis during a time when recently revealed clergy sex abuse allegations were secretly being investigated by church officials, has resigned from the University of St. Thomas Board of Trustees.

The private Catholic university based in St. Paul announced Saturday that Flynn had stepped down Thursday, “effective at the end of the day.” The board elected Michael Dougherty, a trustee since 2003 and chief executive officer of Dougherty Financial Group LLC in Minneapolis, as interim chairman. The trustees expect to elect a permanent chairman and vice chairman on Feb. 13.

Flynn served as archbishop from 1995 to 2008, a period during which the archdiocese investigated reports of cases that have recently come to light, including that of the Rev. Michael J. Keating, a priest who has been a prominent professor at St. Thomas. Flynn had chaired the St. Thomas board since 1995. He was succeeded as archbishop by the Rev. John Nienstedt. …

Calls to many members of St. Thomas’ 43-member board resulted in refusals to comment or were not answered or returned on Saturday night.

Dougherty, the new interim St. Thomas board chairman, issued this statement: “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.”

Reached late Saturday, Jeff Anderson, a St. Paul attorney who handles clergy sex abuse cases, called Flynn’s exit from the board a “superficial gesture” that only protects the reputation of St. Thomas and the archdiocese.

“It’s going to take more than people stepping down from high positions to protect our kids,” Anderson said, continuing his call for the church to identify abuse offenders and details. “More has to be done.”

Although Flynn was one of the top decisionmakers at the archdiocese, Anderson said that he was in a “ceremonial position” at St. Thomas and that he expects more fallout from the recent uncovering of allegations of past abuse. “There will have to be fundamental changes,” he said.

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