Religion

Former US Archbishop Welcomes Investigation Of Abuse Claims Against Him

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Former Archbishop of St. Paul and Minneapolis John Nienstadt denied sexual abuse claims made public Friday by Archbishop Bernard Hebda, and welcomed any investigation.

Nienstadt denied claims of sexual abuse Monday in response to a letter that Hebda sent to his parishioners on Friday, claiming that he had reported an accusation against Neinstadt of sexual misconduct with minors to the Vatican in 2016 and demanding to know that Neinstadt’s status was. Neinstadt said that effectively defending against the claim would be difficult, since it is only his word against his accusers, but that he welcomed any investigation into the matter.

“I welcome an investigation into this allegation, as I have welcomed all impartial investigations into allegations made against me. At the same time, I do deny the veracity of this allegation,” Neinstadt said, according to The Associated Press. “That being said, I don’t want to speak poorly of the men making these accusations.”

Hebda called for a continuation of a 2014 Vatican investigation into sexual misconduct claims against Neinstadt that the Vatican suspended after Neinstadt resigned as archbishop in 2015.

Hebda said in his letter that Neinstadt was accused in 2005 of inviting two minors to his hotel room to change out of their wet clothes at a Catholic youth rally in Germany. Neinstadt also stood accused of engaging in sexual acts with other adults.

Neinstadt resigned from the position of archbishop in 2015, after Minnesota prosecutors charged the archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis with failing to protect minors from a priest who molested two boys. Prosecutors then informed Hebda of the accusations against Nienstadt, prompting him to report them to the Vatican.

“My opinion is this allegation needs to be fully addressed before a definitive resolution of Archbishop Nienstedt’s suitability for ministry can be made,” Hebda wrote.

Hebda said that Neinstadt would not serve in public ministry in the archdiocese until the investigation was continued and completed. The Diocese of New Ulm barred Neinstadt from public ministry as well.