MINNESOTA
Catholic World Report
December 17, 2013
By Catherine Harmon
Today the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis announced that Archbishop John Nienstedt is stepping down from public ministry during the investigation of a claim that he inappropriately touched a minor four years ago.
From Catholic News Service:
Archbishop John C. Nienstedt of St. Paul and Minneapolis is voluntarily stepping aside from all public ministry, effective immediately, while St. Paul police investigate an allegation that he inappropriately touched a male minor on the buttocks in 2009 during a group photography session following a confirmation ceremony.
In a Dec. 17 letter to Catholics of the archdiocese, Archbishop Nienstedt called the allegation “absolutely and entirely false.”
“I have never once engaged in any inappropriate contact with a minor and I have tried to the very best of my ability to serve this archdiocese and the church faithfully, with honor and due regard for the rights of all, even those with whom I disagree,” he said.
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