MINNESOTA
Star Tribune
Article by: ANTHONY LONETREE , Star Tribune Updated: June 22, 2014
A new look at a claim that a Catholic priest engaged in inappropriate conduct with a minor has resulted in Archbishop John Nienstedt placing restrictions on the priest — and the priest’s resignation as pastor of a Dakota County church.
The Rev. Joseph Gallatin of the Church of St. Peter in Mendota had been on a leave of absence since December pending a review of the alleged “boundary violation.”
In a statement on the church’s website, Gallatin said Sunday that he was “truly sorry for the pain that this has caused the parish.”
Nienstedt is restricting him from any ministry involving minors as a result of a 1998 incident on a mission trip during which Gallatin rubbed a sleeping 17-year-old male’s chest and abdomen under the shirt “because the teen was snoring,” according to a posting on the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis website.
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