Archbishop John Nienstedt, who presides over the Minneapolis-St. Paul diocese of the Catholic Church, will step aside after an allegation of improper sexual contact with a minor:
The Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis announced Tuesday an allegation of inappropriate touching has been brought against Archbishop John Nienstedt.
According to the Archdiocese, Nienstedt is accused of inappropriately touching a young boy on the buttocks during a group photo session after a confirmation ceremony in 2009.
Nienstedt has denied the allegation but will voluntarily step aside from public ministry, effective immediately, while an investigation into the incident takes place.
Once the Archdiocese learned of the allegation, they contacted police. They said in a statement on their website that they are ready to fully cooperate with the St. Paul Police’s investigation.
Authorities said the investigation against Nienstedt began around 2 p.m. on Monday — a day after he publicly apologized and addressed the media regarding sexual abuse allegations involving dozens of priests within the Diocese.
Nienstedt is rabidly anti-gay, having recently claimed that Satan is to blame for both gay marriage and condoms.
