Nienstedt Orders Review of Church Handling of Clergy Sexual Abuse

KARE
October 6, 2013

http://www.kare11.com/news/article/1041563/396/Nienstedt-orders-review-of-church-handling-of-clergy-sexual-abuse


ST. PAUL, Minn. - Archbishop John Nienstedt is appointing an independent group to review how the Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis is handling clergy sexual misconduct.

A letter sent by the archdiocese to parish priests said addressing the allegations is "the top priority for the archdiocese."

The archdiocese urged priests to announce at mass that Nienstedt has appointed the Rev. Reginald Whitt to lead an independent task force to review all issues related to clergy misconduct. The letter said the board will make specific recommendations and will release the report to the public.

Nienstedt's move comes after two reports from MPR News. One investigation found that church leaders disregarded warning signs about a parish priest who later went on to sexually abuse two boys. Another found that Nienstedt and others disregarded concerns that a priest had pornography on his computer that was "borderline illegal."

Jennifer Haselberger, a former archdiocese official, issued a statement on Saturday calling for an independent review of all of the clergy files and publicly release any names of priests involved in sexual misconduct.

Nienstedt's top deputy, Vicar General Peter Laird, abruptly resigned on Thursday amid the scandal.