MINNESOTA
Roman Catholic Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis
Date:Thursday, October 24, 2013
In the Q&A below, Archbishop Nienstedt answers many questions that have been asked recently by the media.
Question: Since your arrival as archbishop, has the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis followed the Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People and the Essential Norms?
Archbishop John Nienstedt: Yes.
Q: Why didn’t you go to police about the images found on Father Jon Shelley’s computer?
Archbishop: The analysis completed in 2004 did not find evidence of possession of child pornography. The images that Haselberger showed to coworkers were of pop-up ads. Pop-up ads are unsolicited and often attach to the hard drive without the user’s awareness or permission. The St. Paul police completed a 7-month review of the same material from the hard drive that was analyzed in 2004 and came to the same conclusion: there is no evidence of possession of child pornography.
Q: Why were priests such as Robert Kapoun receiving additional retirement payments? Who authorized those payments, why did they continue, and which priests are still getting additional payments? What action did you take when Jennifer Haselberger reported these payments to you?
Archbishop: Every bishop is required by canon law to provide financial support for priests of his diocese. In some cases, it was determined that offenders should be removed from active priestly ministry, be subject to compliance with our monitoring program, and required to undergo therapy and spiritual direction to avoid reoffending. These decisions were made due to a number of factors, including the projected likelihood that the priest would be not be able to find secular employment or be a candidate for laicization.
Q: Has anything changed with the monitoring of Father Robert Kapoun?
Archbishop: The monitoring program is modeled after probation programs that include periodic visitations and determination of compliance with expected restrictions. Fr. Kapoun has met all requirements of the program, despite the inferences made by the media. We have no reason to believe he is a danger to the community.
Q: Why do you need a new task force?
Archbishop: Our own investigations give us reason to believe that our policies and procedures may not have been uniformly followed and that is a serious issue we have been addressing. At the same time, we believe that we need truly independent analysis from a group of outside and impartial experts to help tell how we can do better. That may mean changes or additions to policies, procedures or practices. It may mean better auditing to ensure compliance with current policies, procedures and practices. The Task Force will have unprecedented authority to examine any and all issues associated with clergy sexual abuse. Its findings and recommendations will be welcomed and implemented.
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