MINNESOTA
Pioneer Press
By Emily Gurnon
egurnon@pioneerpress.com
Posted: 06/06/2013
The Minnesota Supreme Court on Thursday took up the question of whether a St. Paul priest’s criminal-sexual-conduct conviction was based on “excessive religious evidence,” and should thus be overturned, as a lower court had ruled.
Christopher Wenthe became sexually involved with a 21-year-old penitent while he served at Nativity of Our Lord parish in St. Paul. The relationship lasted from November 2003, when he was 39, until February 2005, according to testimony at his Ramsey County trial.
The woman testified that she told Wenthe about her struggles with an eating disorder and prior sexual abuse. He agreed to serve as her confessor. She said Wenthe exploited her vulnerability and her trust in him as a priest.
Wenthe’s attorney countered at trial that the relationship was a “mutual affection that went awry” and that the woman was a willing participant.
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