To allow The Catholic Spirit staff members time with their loved ones during the holidays, the print edition of the newspaper will not publish a Jan. 2, 2015, edition as planned. The first edition of 2015 will be Jan. 15.
Due to circumstances beyond our control, the Office of Communications is delaying the publication of the Official Minnesota Catholic Directory until August.
In response to questions seeking clarity regarding the Weymeyer case, we affirm the finding of law enforcement that we complied with the requirements of mandated reporting.
The Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis is grateful to the Saint Paul Police Department and the Ramsey and Washington County Attorneys’ offices for their thorough investigation and clearing of the archdiocese in cases involving Curtis Wehmeyer and Fr. Jonathan Shelley.
The archdiocese has previously acknowledged that it has not consistently handled matters in a transparent manner in the past. Archdiocesan leadership has made a firm commitment to create a culture of transparency over the past several years.
A media report was published today regarding Harry Walsh, a former member of the Redemptorists religious order in Ireland, and a former priest who ministered in the Archdiocese of Detroit and who later moved to the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis.
The Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis greatly appreciates the comments by St. Paul Police Chief Smith today. We affirm that we received his letter and answered within the two-day span requested. In our response, we asked for an opportunity to meet with members of the St. Paul Police.
The Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis today announced that an allegation has been brought by a mandated reporter within the Church to the St. Paul Police of inappropriate touching of a minor male on the buttocks by Archbishop John Nienstedt. The single incident is alleged to have occurred in 2009 during a group photography session with the archbishop following a confirmation ceremony. Archbishop Nienstedt emphatically denies the allegation. Upon learning of the allegation last week, the archdiocese instructed the mandated reporter to make the matter known to the police. The archbishop and the archdiocese stand ready to cooperate fully with the St. Paul Police.
The Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis said it will disclose the names of priests currently living in the archdiocese who have substantiated claims against them of committing sexual abuse against minors.
