Transcripts of Archbishop's Deposition Released

KARE
April 22, 2014

http://www.kare11.com/story/news/local/minnesota/2014/04/22/archbishop-deposition-john-nienstedt/8002987/

Attorneys for victims of alleged sexual abuse by Minnesota priests have

released both transcripts

and videotape of the deposition of Twin Cities Archbishop John Nienstedt.

Nienstedt is head of the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis. On April 2, he was questioned by attorney Jeff Anderson and testified about the church's response to sexual abuse allegations. It was the first time since Nienstedt became archbishop six years ago that he has addressed these questions under oath.

CLICK HERE FOR TRANSCRIPTS OF THE DEPOSITION OF ARCHBISHOP JOHN NIENSTEDT

The deposition was taken as part of a lawsuit filed by a man who claims a priest abused him in the 1970s.

In the interview, Nienstedt said under oath that he hasn't reprimanded or disciplined anyone for how abuse cases were handled. In several instances, he says the responsibility for notifying people about problem priests fell on another church official, the Rev. Kevin McDonough.

Victims' attorney Jeff Anderson says the deposition shows Nienstedt continues to deny the problem and deflect responsibility. Transcripts of Nienstedt's testimony reflect a line of questioning from Anderson that became increasingly testy, especially when it came to child pornography and sex abuse.

At the end of the deposition, Anderson indicates his desire to continue questioning the Archbishop. Attorneys for the Archdiocese tell Anderson that his time is up. "So we are done?" Anderson asks. "We're done. You're past your time," Nienstedt's attorney replies.

Church lawyers tried to block the deposition, claiming it wasn't relevant to the case because Nienstedt was not Archbishop at the time of the alleged abuse. But a Ramsey County judge and the Minnesota Court of Appeals disagreed.

The archdiocese said earlier that Nienstedt explained under oath that children's safety is the highest priority.