An American archbishop who has prominently opposed gay marriage is under investigation for alleged sexual relationships with other men.
Archbishop John Nienstedt of Twin Cities, Minnesota, is being investigated by a prominent Minneapolis law firm hired by his archdiocese.
Archbishop Nienstedt authorised the investigation himself.
Numerous allegations have reportedly been received against Nienstedt, alleging he had a series of sexual relationships with priests, seminarians and other men.
Nienstedt said that the allegations are “absolutely and entirely false”.
“The allegations do not involve minors or lay members of the faithful, and they do not implicate any kind of illegal or criminal behaviour,” he said.
The archbishop added that the allegations involve events that happened at least a decade ago.
Nienstedt came under fire last September for allegedly failing to report or discipline clergy suspected of molesting children.
This was after a canon lawyer he previously hired, Jennifer Haselberger, began leaking internal church documents that appeared to detail efforts to shield abusers.
Haselberger resigned her post in frustration last April.
Another top aide who subsequently quit had also told the archbishop he should resign.
The story about Nienstedt being investigated for alleged sexual impropriety was first published by the Commonweal journal.
Haselberger told Commonweal she understands investigators have received about 10 sworn statements alleging sexual impropriety by Nienstedt.
She added that “he also stands accused of retaliating against those who refused his advances or otherwise questioned his conduct”.
Responding to Commonweal, Nienstedt dismissed the charges as 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”.
In 2012, Nienstedt campaigned hard against the legalisation of same-sex marriage in Minnesota, to no avail.
In December last year, Nienstedt was accused of touching a boy’s behind while posing for a confirmation photo.
He denied this and took leave while a county prosecutor investigated, but no charges were brought and Nienstedt returned to his post fulltime in March.
Nienstedt often speaks on homosexuality, using controversial language or espousing unorthodox theories.
Homosexuality, he has written, “must be understood in the context of other human disorders: envy, malice, greed, etc.”
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