MINNESOTA
San Francisco Chronicle
ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — Archbishop John Nienstedt made a false statement when he testified earlier this year about his knowledge of an abusive priest’s past, according to a report Thursday by Minnesota Public Radio News.
The station reported (http://bit.ly/1wv8TSJ ) that during his April 2 sworn deposition, Nienstedt said he had learned about the prior conviction of the Rev. Gilbert Gustafson “during the last six months.”
But letters obtained by MPR show that one parishioner wrote to Nienstedt about Gustafson in 2008. The parishioner said Gustafson had a criminal conviction and was working as a consultant for Twin Cities parishes.
Nienstedt responded with a letter of his own two weeks later, MPR reported. In it, he told the parishioner he had no control over Gustafson because he was no longer an archdiocesan priest. Nienstedt also referred in the letter to Gustafson as a former priest — which was not true.
The Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis has come under fire in the last year for the way it handled allegations of sexual abuse by clergy, prompting some to call for Nienstedt to resign. His statements on Gustafson mark the second time his April testimony has been called into question.
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