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U.S. NEWS Tuesday 18 december 2018

Vatican urged to reveal status of ousted U.S. archbishop

By NICOLE WINFIELD and them to do the same." He dressed before a definitive
AMY FORLITI noted that Nienstedt de- resolution of Archbishop Ni-
Associated Press nied the allegation. enstedt's suitability for min-
VATICAN CITY (AP) — A Nienstedt resigned as arch- istry can be made," Hebda
prominent U.S. archbishop bishop after Minnesota wrote.
is asking the Vatican for an- prosecutors charged the The Vatican didn't immedi-
swers about the status of an Twin Cities archdiocese ately respond to a request
investigation into alleged with failing to protect chil- for comment Monday.
sexual misconduct by his dren from a predator priest Nienstedt, who was bishop
predecessor, who was who was later convicted of of New Ulm at the time of
forced to resign in 2015. molesting two boys. the alleged incident in Ger-
St. Paul and Minneapolis Nienstedt was one of the many, denied the claim in
Archbishop Bernard Hebda first U.S. bishops known to a Monday email to The As-
wrote a remarkable letter have been forced from sociated Press.
to his flock Friday in which office for botching sex "I welcome an investiga-
he revealed he sent the abuse investigations. He tion into this allegation, as I In this photograph taken on Monday, Oct. 18, 2010, Archbish-
op John C. Nienstedt talks about the Archdiocese of St. Paul
Vatican in 2016 a new alle- also faced allegations of have welcomed all impar- and Minneapolis consolidation plan, which includes closing 21
gation of improprieties with engaging in inappropri- tial investigations into alle- churches, at his office in St. Paul, Minn.
minors against retired Arch- ate sexual behavior with gations made against me. Associated Press
bishop John Nienstedt. adults. He denied miscon- At the same time, I do deny
It was not immediately duct, and the archdiocese the veracity of this allega- now accused of sexual mis- ministry in his archdiocese.
clear if the alleged inci- hired two law firms to inves- tion," he said. "That being conduct with both adult But he said Nienstedt's fate
dent in Germany was ever tigate those claims in 2014, said, I don't want to speak seminarians and at least is ultimately in the Vatican's
investigated. Nienstedt has but the results were never poorly of the men making one minor. hands.
denied the allegation. made public. these accusations." Hebda and Auxiliary Bishop "The matter remains unre-
County prosecutors in- Hebda said as far as he Nienstedt said it's hard to Andrew Cozzens have held solved for the accusers, for
formed Hebda of the alle- knew, the Vatican sus- defend himself because it's up both the McCarrick and Archbishop Nienstedt and
gation in 2016. It accused pended the 2014 inves- his word against the word the Nienstedt scandals as for the public," he said. "I
Nienstedt of inviting two tigation when Nienstedt of his accusers, "and, as evidence of the need for share the frustration that is
minors to his hotel room in resigned in June 2015. He much as they seem to want a lay-led mechanism to felt by them."
2005 at a Vatican-orga- called for a resolution to to discredit me, I don't want review misconduct allega- The criminal charges
nized youth rally in Ger- that probe, and for infor- to harm them." tions against bishops, who against the archdiocese
many to change out of wet mation about the alleged Nienstedt's case has taken are answerable only to the eventually were dismissed,
clothes, the archbishop World Youth Day incident, on new relevance given pope. but the archdiocese
wrote. which he learned about af- the sex abuse scandal sur- Hebda said he is doing reached a civil settlement
Hebda said Nienstedt "then ter Nienstedt's resignation. rounding ex-Cardinal Theo- what he can within his au- with authorities that was
proceeded to undress in "My opinion is this allega- dore McCarrick, the retired thority by forbidding Nien- designed to increase over-
front of them and invited tion needs to be fully ad- archbishop of Washington stedt from exercising public sight and transparency.q

Groups sue to block oil production in Alaska's Beaufort Sea

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) Beaufort Sea off Alaska's other endangered species, development if the risks project — would actually
— Five conservation groups north coast. said Kristen Monsell of the to the human and marine result in more greenhouse
filed a lawsuit Monday The groups said the plan vi- Center for Biological Diver- environment outweigh the gas emissions, which is just
seeking to block oil produc- olates federal law govern- sity, one of the groups that benefits of oil extraction. completely ridiculous on
tion from a proposed artifi- ing outer continental shelf sued. That includes both spills its face, and also ridiculous
cial gravel island in federal drilling, the environment "An oil spill in the Arctic and climate change, Mon- given the modeling they
Arctic waters. and endangered species. would be impossible to sell said. used," Monsell said.
The groups asked the 9th The Trump administration clean up in a region al- "Here the agency used the The Bureau of Ocean En-
U.S. Circuit Court of Ap- failed to consider impacts ready stressed by climate totally inadequate analy- ergy Management did not
peals to review an offshore of an oil spill in remote change," she said. sis that actually found that immediately respond to an
production plan approved Arctic waters or effects of Drilling law requires the the 'no action' alterna- email request for comment
for the Liberty project in the drilling on polar bears and administration to reject tive — not approving the Monday.q