MINNESOTA
KAAL
The Minnesota Supreme Court overturned an Appeals Court decision granting a new trial for a former Catholic priest convicted of criminal sexual conduct in 2011.
Former Catholic Priest, Christopher Wenthe, admitted in court he had sex with a 21-year-old woman who attended his St. Paul Parish.
But, his attorneys argued the relationship was consensual and was not in the context of his role a religious counselor. The Minnesota Court of Appeals overturned his conviction and ordered a new trial saying there was an entanglement of law and religious doctrine protected under the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution.
But, the state appealed to the Minnesota Supreme Court and Wednesday the state’s highest court struck down the Appeals Court ruling and upheld Wenthe’s conviction.
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