Archbishop Probed for Sex With Men

Archbishop John Nienstedt of St. Paul and Minneapolis is currently under investigation for sexual misconduct with a number of men, including other priests and seminarians. Though Nienstedt was previously under investigation for allegedly touching a boy’s buttocks during a confirmation photo, these newer accusations are all related to adult males. Jennifer Haselberger, the archbishop’s former top canon lawyer, said “investigators have received about ten sworn statements alleging sexual impropriety on the part of the archbishop.” She added that Nienstedt is also accused of “retaliating against those who refused his advances or otherwise questioned his conduct.” Nienstadt has ironically taken especially harsh views against homosexuality, cautioning Catholics against watching 2007’s Brokeback Mountain and slamming same-sex marriage. He reportedly committed $650,000 to a 2012 campaign to add an amendment to Minnesota’s state constitution defining marriage between a man and a woman. Nienstedt claimed in a written statement that the latest allegations are a “personal attack against me due to my unwavering stance on issues consistent with church teaching, such as opposition to so-called same-sex marriage.”