On April 10, 2014 — seven months into the clergy sex abuse scandal — Archbishop John Nienstedt's top advisers gathered for a private meeting. They had just received several affidavits from an internal investigation of Nienstedt that had been authorized by the archbishop himself to address damaging rumors.
News Story of the Day
Historical Abuse Inquiry: Fr Brendan Smyth 'could have abused hundreds of children'
June 22, 2015, BBC News
A public inquiry has been told that a paedophile priest admitted he may have sexually abused hundreds of children.
Northern Ireland's Historical Abuse Inquiry has begun an examination on the activities of Fr Brendan Smyth.
An isolated Nienstedt tried to limit investigation into himself
Madeleine Baran · Jun 19, 2015 MPR News
Chris Churchill: Church leaders failed to protect the powerless
Retired Archbishop Harry Flynn was supposed to be sunshine amid the dark clouds of the pedophile priest scandal.
Vatican abuse tribunal has much work to do
THOMAS FARRAGHER, Boston Globe, June 16, 2015
Even for an institution that measures its history in centuries, not decades, the Vatican’s move toward sanctions against bishops who cover up for pedophile priests seems glacial.
Pope Warns Bishops to Deal with Accused Priests
Kevin Killeen (@KMOXKilleen), June 10, 2015 4:46 PM, KMOX
ST. LOUIS (KMOX) – U.S. Catholic Bishops meeting in St. Louis are accused by a survivors group of failing to live up to the promises made to protect children at the Dallas Conference of Bishops in 2002.
Pope Creates Tribunal for Bishop Negligence in Child Sexual Abuse Cases
JUNE 10, 2015, NY Times
ROME — Roman Catholic bishops accused of covering up or failing to prevent the sexual abuse of children by priests will now be subject to judgment and discipline by a new Vatican tribunal, according to a plan approved on Wednesday by Pope Francis.
Twin Cities archdiocese charged with child endangerment.
Grant Gallicho, June 7, 2015, Commonweal
On Friday, a Minnesota county attorney filed criminal charges against the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis, alleging that for years church leaders—including Archbishop John Nienstedt—failed to protect children from a priest who would eventually plead guilty to molesting children and possessing child pornography.
