Fr Mike Tegeder of St Frances Cabrini parish in Minneapolis was told by Archbishop John Nienstedt that the venue of Fr Tony Flannery's talk be changed to a non-Catholic location.

Fr Tegeder said the archbishop wanted this so as "not to cause scandal".

The talk went ahead last week, with the audience filling the church to overflowing.

Fr Tegeder also said that Archbishop Nienstedt described the Irish priest as "not a Catholic".

During a 30-minute meeting with the archbishop before the talk, Fr Tegeder said he pointed out that Fr Flannery is a Catholic of good standing.

Fr Flannery is a founding member of the Association of Catholic Priests in Ireland,

"To say he is not Catholic is to suggest he has been excommunicated, which is not the case, and in fact is a defamatory statement," Fr Tegeder said.

The priest told his archbishop that the very issues Fr Flannery discusses are those which got an airing at last month's synod on the family.

Fr Tegeder said if they can be discussed in the Vatican, they can be discussed in Minneapolis.

In follow-up correspondence, Archbishop Nienstedt dispatched a registered letter to Fr Tegeder.

This requested that Fr Flannery "not be perceived in any way as being sponsored by the Catholic Church", but stated the archbishop had not cut off dialogue.

The parish priest agreed to "announce this publicly" and said he would "have a sign up at the lectern to that effect noting that it comes from you, the Chief Catechist of our Archdiocese".

Fr Flannery "is trying to reform the Church", said Fr Tegeder.

"He said listening to women in confession talk about sexual issues and birth control, it's transformed him."

Fr Flannery, who is a Redemptorist, was touring the US talking about reform in the Church and his 2012 censure by the Congregation for the Doctrine of Faith.

The CDF ordered Fr Flannery to be silent after he questioned elements of Church teaching including whether current understanding of the priesthood directly reflected Jesus' actions at the Last Supper.

Sources

• The Tablet
• Minneapolis Star-Tribune
• Tony Flannery
• Image: CathNews USA

The Catholic Coalition for Church Reform in St Paul-Minnesapolis has identified seven nominees to replace embattled Archbishop John Nienstedt.

During the first half of November, an "election-like process" will produce the three names to be sent to Archbishop Carlo Maria Viganò, the apostolic nuncio to the United States.

Coalition board member Paula Ruddy acknowledged "as lay Catholics, we can't actually elect our leadership, but we want to raise our voices as concerned Christians who want a sustainable, healthy, Church".

The coalition's criteria included candidates being younger than 65, untainted by abuse scandals and being from the local area.

A consultant committee of four laypeople and five priests scrutinised those on a shortlist for abilities in key areas.

These were pastoral experience, credibility, theological aptitude, and experience working in social justice areas, with multiple generations, and in interfaith and diverse partnerships.

A key factor was "the ability to really act as shepherd and unify factions".

The National Catholic Reporter questioned the track record of one of the nominees in response to the abuse crisis.

Editorials in the local Star-Tribune and the New York Times have called upon Archbishop Nienstedt to resign.

He is undergoing an investigation into possible sexual misconduct and his archdiocese is facing legal action.

Former archdiocesan chancellor Jennifer Haselberger reported a "cavalier attitude about the safety of other people's children" at the archdiocese's top levels.

This led to lax investigations and continued priestly service by suspected abusers, she stated in an affidavit.

Archbishop Nienstedt has vowed to stay in office as long as Pope Francis wants him to.

He said he's never knowingly covered up clergy sexual abuse.

He also said he's created a new leadership team that puts victims first and he maintains he's always been honest with Catholics of the archdiocese.

Archbishop Nienstedt has previously cautioned local Catholics from interacting with the Catholic Coalition for Church Reform.

The coalition includes local chapters of DignityUSA, Call to Action and Roman Catholic Women Priests.

Sources

• National Catholic Reporter
• Star Tribune
• Huffington Post
• Image: Minnesota Public Radio

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."

Sources

• National Catholic Reporter
• The Wire
• Image: Star Tribune

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

KARE
UPI
Reuters/Chicago Tribune
Image: Getty Images/Chicago Tribune