MINNESOTA
National Catholic Reporter
Brian Roewe | Mar. 12, 2014
Prosecutors in the Twin Cities have declined to press charges against St. Paul-Minneapolis Archbishop John Nienstedt in relation to allegations of inappropriately touching a boy.
Ramsey County Prosecutor John Choi announced Tuesday evening that an extensive investigation into the claim revealed insufficient evidence to prosecute.
In mid-December, Nienstedt removed himself from public ministry after the archdiocese became aware of the allegation that the archbishop had touched the buttocks of a boy during a post-confirmation group photo session in 2009 at the Cathedral of St. Paul.
The prosecutor’s investigation found none of the other 11 people appearing in the photo had witnessed the archbishop touch the boy’s buttocks or saw anyone react in a startled manner. It added that the boy did not report anything beyond a hand brushing against him and that such touching could happen unintentionally. Without clear sexual intent, the report said, charges could not be filed.
“It also seems unlikely that the Archbishop, if he were so inclined, would pick that moment to sexually touch a random boy openly in front of another clergy member, a deacon, and numerous other confirmands while the confirmands’ family members were preparing to document the moment in photographs,” the report stated.
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