MINNESOTA
Minnesota Public Radio
[with copy of the bishop’s announcement]
by Tom Scheck, Minnesota Public Radio
October 6, 2013
ST. PAUL, Minn. — Archbishop John Nienstedt is appointing an independent group to review how the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis is handling sexual misconduct.
The letter, sent by the Archdiocese to parish priests, said addressing the allegations is “the top priority for the archdiocese.”
The archdiocese urged priests to announce at mass that Nienstedt has appointed the Rev. Reginald Whitt to oversee the current administration related to misconduct and appoint an independent task force to review all issues related to clergy misconduct. The letter said the board will make specific recommendations and will release the report to the public.
The letter comes after two reports from MPR News. One found that Neinstedt and others disregarded concerns that a priest had pornography on his computer that was “borderline illegal.” Another investigation found that church leaders disregarded warning signs about a parish priest who later went on to sexually abuse two boys.
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