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Archbishop John Nienstedt of the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis told parishioners and the media on Sunday that he’s sorry he overlooked issues of abuse among parish priests.
He told parishioners and reporters that he was told the issue of clergy sex abuse was taken care of when he became archbishop seven years ago.
“Unfortunately I believed that and so my biggest apology today, and I did this last week at two other parishes, is to say I overlooked this. I should have investigated it more than I did,” Nienstedt said.
The Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis is taking steps to reconcile the issue, Nienstedt said. The steps include releasing the names of priests who have been credibly accused of sexually abusing children. Several parishioners said they were pleased Nienstedt addressed the issue but a few said they wished he would have done it sooner.
The Archdiocese of Philadelphia, meanwhile, announced on Sunday that it had placed another five priests on administrative leave, including one accused of sexual abuse.
Archbishop Charles J. Chaput determined that there was a substantiated case of sexual abuse of a minor against a 58-year-old priest identified as Michael A. Chapman, according to a church statement. It gave no further details on the allegation.
Chapman was not immediately available for comment, a Reuters report said.
The other four suspended priests were determined to have violated standards of behavior and boundaries, the church said without elaborating. A church document defines one of the boundaries as pertaining to appropriate behavior with children.
The church said it had already reported the allegations against the men to the Philadelphia district attorney’s office, and an archdiocese spokesman said he was not aware of any criminal charges against the men.
Sources
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UPI
Reuters/Chicago Tribune
Image: Getty Images/Chicago Tribune
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