Former Archbishop Flynn Steps down from St. Thomas Post
By Marino Eccher
Former St. Paul and Minneapolis Archbishop Harry Flynn has stepped down as chairman of the University of St. Thomas' Board of Trustees. Flynn, archbishop from 1995 to 2008 and chairman of the St. Thomas board since 1995, retired at the board meeting Thursday, the university said in a statement Saturday. The university did not give a reason for Flynn's departure, and he was not available for comment. Flynn is the second high-ranking board member to step down this month. His retirement follows a series of reports on how the archdiocese handled the investigation of sexual misconduct accusations against a St. Thomas professor and priest. The Rev. Kevin McDonough, the former vicar general of the archdiocese, resigned as vice chairman of the St. Thomas board earlier this month. According to memos obtained by Minnesota Public Radio and recently published, McDonough headed an investigation into the Rev. Michael Keating, a priest and associate professor of Catholic studies at St. Thomas. A young woman from Chisago County told church officials in 2006 that Keating had molested her when she was 13. In addition to that case, McDonough told then-Archbishop Flynn in 2006 of three other young women with whom Keating might have had inappropriate emotional or physical relationships. At best, McDonough told the archbishop, Keating had "a deep inability to understand when a relationship with a woman has crossed emotional boundaries." A possibility "far more painful to imagine" is that sexual abuse occurred, which would require the archdiocese to remove him from ministry, McDonough wrote. Since the Chisago County case was being turned over to the sheriff's office there, "I do not think we should take any steps for limiting (Keating's) ministry currently," McDonough wrote. "The police will want to perform their investigation unimpeded." A church review board found insufficient evidence of sexual abuse to suspend Keating in 2007, but recommended he be kept away from retreats and mentoring roles over adolescents and young adults. After the investigation and the board's decision, McDonough recommended to Flynn in 2008 that they close the investigation into Keating and put in writing a statement that "clearly exculpate(s) him." Keating, 57, remained in the ministry and at the university until he went on leave from both this month. Chisago County prosecutors, citing a lack of evidence, declined to file charges against Keating in 2006 after church officials turned the investigation over to law enforcement. But the woman sued Keating in Ramsey County District Court on Monday. She claims Keating, a close family friend at the time, molested her in the 1990s while he was a student at the St. Paul Seminary on the St. Thomas campus. Keating's attorney says those allegations are false. Jeff Anderson, the woman's attorney, said Saturday that Flynn's resignation is "a nominal gesture" that far from settles the issue. It's "a step taken, in our view, to help restore a reputation, but it does nothing to protect kids in the present or the future," he said. The university said Saturday that it has hired outside counsel to investigate "matters related to clergy sexual abuse allegations that impact the university," and the board of trustees will appoint a special committee to oversee that investigation. Michael Dougherty, a trustee since 2003, was elected interim chairman of the board. He's the chairman and chief executive of Dougherty Financial Group in Minneapolis. He was not available for comment Saturday. John Morrison, a trustee since 1996, was elected interim vice chair. The board expects to elect a permanent chair and vice chair in February, the university said in its statement. In addition to the Keating case, Flynn was archbishop and McDonough was vicar general -- the archbishop's chief deputy -- when thousands of pornographic images were discovered in 2004 on a laptop that belonged to another priest, the Rev. Jonathan Shelley. An investigator hired by the archdiocese had found that some of the images looked like child pornography, according to a police report, but the archdiocese didn't bring the matter to law enforcement until this year, when an archdiocese official alerted Ramsey County prosecutors. Police closed their investigation Sept. 29 after finding that images from Shelley's computer turned over by the archdiocese contained only adult pornography but reopened it less than a week later after receiving new information. The archdiocese says it cooperated fully and has zero tolerance for sexual misconduct. Shelley is on leave. His lawyer says he didn't have child pornography. The church official who alerted authorities to the Shelley case, Jennifer Haselberger, resigned as chancellor for canonical affairs in April. She said she was frustrated by how her superiors handled abuse allegations. Haselberger has also criticized the archdiocese's handling of the case of the Rev. Curtis Wehmeyer, who is in prison for sexually abusing two boys and possessing child pornography. Memos obtained by Minnesota Public Radio show that McDonough and other church officials knew Wehmeyer had a track record of sexual interest in young men but kept him in ministry and didn't warn his parish at Blessed Sacrament Church in St. Paul. McDonough, who also oversaw child-abuse protection for the archdiocese until earlier this month, has said Wehmeyer's past didn't indicate he was a threat to children. Wehmeyer was later accused and pleaded guilty of sexually abusing two boys. McDonough's successor as vicar general, the Rev. Peter Laird, resigned in October after the Wehmeyer disclosures and others from Haselberger. Emily Gurnon contributed to this report. Contact: meccher@pioneerpress.com
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