John Nienstedt, the archbishop of St.
Paul and Minneapolis, and a deputy bishop handed in their
resignations on Monday.
The resignations came after prosecutors
charged the archdiocese with having “turned a blind eye” to
inappropriate behavior by a priest. The priest, Curtis Wehmeyer, was
later convicted of molesting two boys and is serving a five-year
prison sentence, the Minneapolis
Star-Tribune reported.
Nienstedt said he was resigning to give
the archdiocese “a new beginning.”
“My leadership has unfortunately
drawn attention away from the good works of His Church and those who
perform them,” he said in a written statement. “Thus, my
decision to step down. I leave with a clear conscience knowing that
my team and I have put in place solid protocols to ensure the
protection of minors and vulnerable adults.”
Nienstedt has been an outspoken
opponent of marriage equality. In 2012, as voters considered an
unsuccessful attempt to exclude gay couples from marriage, Nienstedt
ordered priests to get behind the proposed ban or remain silent. Last
year, he was accused of “sexual impropriety” with priests and
other men.
(Related: Archbishop
John Nienstedt: I'm not gay.)