MINNESOTA
CBS Minnesota
[with video]
Esme Murphy
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) – The Archbishop of St. Paul and Minneapolis says he will not resign and insists the Church has turned a corner with new policies to better address allegations of sexual abuse by priests.
John Nienstedt is doing a series of interviews about the abuse scandal and he also is answering questions about recently surfaced allegations that he was involved in sexually inappropriate relationships with men.
While talking with WCCO’s Esme Murphy, Nienstedt denied ever having any kind of inappropriate relationships with men. He said he expects to be cleared of the allegations eventually.
The claims surfaced after Jennifer Haselberger, former canon lawyer for the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis, revealed she had been interviewed by an outside law firm investigating the allegations.
Those allegations contrast sharply with the archbishop’s campaign in support of the 2012 constitutional amendment to ban gay marriage. The archbishop defended the church’s $600,000 campaign in favor of that amendment.
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