Vatican concludes former Minnesota archbishop acted imprudently but committed no crimes

Source: Associated Press

Vatican concludes former Minnesota archbishop acted imprudently but committed no crimes

BY STEVE KARNOWSKI
Updated 5:27 PM EST, January 5, 2024

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — A lengthy Vatican investigation into misconduct allegations against Archbishop John Nienstedt, the former leader of the Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis, concluded that he took “imprudent” actions but did not violate church law, the archdiocese announced Friday.

However, the archdiocese also said Pope Francis barred Nienstedt from any public ministry following the investigation.

Nienstedt was one of the first U.S. bishops known to have been forced from office for botching sex abuse investigations. He stepped down in 2015 after Minnesota prosecutors charged the archdiocese with having failed to protect children from harm by a pedophile priest who was later convicted of molesting two boys. Nienstedt was later accused of his own inappropriate sexual behavior involving adult males and minors.

His successor, Archbishop Bernard Hebda, in 2016 forwarded allegations to the Vatican that Nienstedt invited two minors to a hotel room in 2005 during a youth rally in Germany to change out of wet clothes, and that he then proceeded to undress in front of them and invited them to do the same. Nienstedt was the bishop of New Ulm, Minnesota, at the time.

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Read more: https://apnews.com/article/catholic-church-archbishop-nienstedt-priest-abuse-789ccb50077c3435fb67d7049138541d