Crime & Safety

'Catholic Church is a Total Mess': Residents Angry Over Latest Accusations

While some are waiting to see how the investigations play out, others are frustrated with a church embroiled in controversy over clergy sex abuse accusations.

On Tuesday, St. Paul Police Chief Tom Smith said the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis was not cooperating with the department’s investigation into claims of clergy sex abuse. The news capped off a devastating two-week period for the Catholic church in Minnesota.

First, the archdiocese on Dec. 5 released a list of 30 clerics who had been “credibly accused” of sexually abusing minors. That list was followed by similar releases from the Diocese of Winona and St. John’s Abbey. Then on Tuesday, the archdiocese announced a new accusation that Archbishop John Clayton Nienstedt inappropriately touched a boy in 2009. Nienstedt "emphatically denies the allegation" but stepped aside from his ministerial duties pending an investigation into the accusation.

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