MINNESOTA
WDAY
[Statement from the archdiocese]
[Letter from Archbishop John Nienstedt]
By: AMY FORLITI, Associated Press
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — The head of the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis announced Tuesday that he is stepping aside from public ministry effective immediately after an allegation that he inappropriately touched an underage male on the buttocks during a public photo session.
In an open letter posted on the archdiocese’s website, Archbishop John Nienstedt denied the allegations, but said he would remove himself from ministry pending a police investigation.
Nienstedt said he learned of the allegation over the weekend. He said it came from a young man whom Nienstedt had anointed in the Sacrament of Confirmation in 2009. Nienstedt said he doesn’t know who his accuser is, but said the young man alleged that Nienstedt inappropriately touched him during a public photo session following the confirmation ceremony.
“I presume he is sincere in believing what he claims, but I must say that this allegation is absolutely and entirely false,” Nienstedt wrote. “I have never once engaged in any inappropriate contact with a minor.”
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