MINNESOTA
Yahoo! News
By AMY FORLITI
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Archbishop John Nienstedt announced Tuesday that the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis is investigating him after allegations of inappropriate behavior surfaced several months ago.
In a statement, Nienstedt said he ordered the investigation himself after the claims were made against him. He did not detail the nature of the allegations, but said they are “absolutely and entirely false.” He added that they do not involve minors or lay members and do not suggest anything illegal.
“The Archdiocese investigates all allegations of clergy misconduct,” Nienstedt said. “It would be unfair to ignore these allegations simply because I know them to be false.”
Nienstedt’s statement came after the investigation was first reported online Tuesday by Commonweal, a Catholic publication. Nienstedt told the journal that he’d been accused by a former priest of improperly touching the man’s neck. …
St. Paul Police Department spokesman Howie Padilla said the archdiocese informed police about the internal investigation while authorities were actively investigating other cases involving individuals in the archdiocese. Padilla said all cases have been turned over to prosecutors for review.
Dennis Gerhardstein, a spokesman for the Ramsey County Attorney’s Office, said several cases are still under review. He said prosecutors didn’t receive a case on this particular issue involving Nienstedt.
Nienstedt said the apostolic nuncio, who oversees all bishops in the United States, has been told of the allegations and will be given the results when it is complete.
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