John Nienstedt, the archbishop of Saint
Paul & Minneapolis, has denied allegations that he's gay or has
engaged in sexual acts with other men.
“I'm not gay,” Nienstedt told the
Star
Tribune. “And I'm not anti-gay.”
The archdiocese hired an outside law
firm to investigate “multiple allegations” against Nienstedt of
inappropriate sexual conduct with seminarians, priests and other men.
Church officials said the investigation is ongoing.
Nienstedt played a key role in
Minnesota's marriage equality debate, spearheading an effort for a
constitutional amendment to ban such unions in 2012.
He told the paper that he was arguing
that marriage should be a heterosexual union: “It wasn't to put
down people with same-sex attractions.”
His rhetoric, however, included calling
marriage equality the Devil's handiwork.
“Today many evil forces have set
their sights on the dissolution of marriage and the debasing of
family life,” Nienstedt wrote in an op-ed published in Legatus
Magazine. “Sodomy, abortion, contraception, pornography,
the redefinition of marriage, and the denial of objective truth are
just some of the forces threatening the stability of our
civilization. The source of these machinations is none other than
the Father of Lies. Satan knows all too well the value that the
family contributes to the fabric of a good solid society, as well as
the future of God’s work on earth.”