Please ensure Javascript is enabled for purposes of website accessibility
Pope Asks US Bishop to Resign After Cover-Up Investigation
gvw_ap_news
By Associated Press
Published 4 years ago on
April 13, 2021

Share

ROME — Pope Francis asked a bishop in the U.S. state of Minnesota to resign after he was investigated by the Vatican for allegedly interfering with past investigations into clergy sexual abuse, officials said Tuesday.

The Vatican said Francis accepted the resignation of Crookston Bishop Michael Hoeppner on Tuesday and named a temporary replacement to run the diocese. Hoeppner is 71, four years shy of the normal retirement age for bishops.

Hoeppner Accused of Covering Up Sexual Abuse in the 70’s

The Roman Catholic Diocese of Crookston said in a statement that the pontiff asked Hoeppner to resign following the Vatican probe, which it said arose from reports that the bishop “had at times failed to observe applicable norms when presented with allegations of sexual abuse involving clergy.”

The Vatican had tasked St. Paul-Minneapolis Archbishop Bernard Hebda with conducting a preliminary investigation. Last year, Hebda’s office announced that the Holy See had authorized a more in-depth probe.

Hoeppner is accused of stating that a priest was fit for ministry despite allegedly knowing the priest had abused a 16-year-old boy in the early 1970s. The victim, Ron Vasek, later sued the diocese, alleging that Hoeppner blackmailed him into retracting his allegations against Monsignor Roger Grundhaus. The lawsuit was settled for an undisclosed sum in 2017.

First Bishop Investigated Under 2019 Vatican Law

Hoeppner was the first bishop known to be investigated by the Vatican under a 2019 law that Francis approved laying out the procedures to conduct preliminary investigations against bishops accused of sex abuse or cover-up.

He has said in sworn testimony that he was trying to protect the victim’s confidentiality by stating that Grundhaus was fit for ministry. He has said Grundhaus continues to deny Vasek’s allegations.

The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops simultaneously announced Hoeppner’s resignation and the appointment of the Most Rev. Richard E. Pate, the retired bishop of Des Moines, as a temporary administrator without commenting on the reason for the change.

The diocese of Crookston counts nearly 35,000 Catholics in a population of 278,000 people in northern Minnesota.

RELATED TOPICS:

DON'T MISS

What Are Fresno Real Estate Experts Predicting for 2025 and Beyond?

DON'T MISS

First California EV Mandates Hit Automakers This Year. Most Are Not Even Close

DON'T MISS

Fresno State’s Ag College Is Growing. A New Corporate Sponsor Will Help Them

DON'T MISS

Trump Compares Russia and Ukraine to Children Fighting

DON'T MISS

Trump Administration Imposes Sanctions on Four ICC Judges in Unprecedented Move

DON'T MISS

SpaceX Will Decommission Dragon Spacecraft, Musk Says as Feud With Trump Escalates

DON'T MISS

Erika Sandoval Gets Life Sentence in Notorious Tulare County Murder

DON'T MISS

Israeli Military Strikes Beirut’s Southern Suburbs

DON'T MISS

We Are Being Governed by the Trump Organization Inc.

DON'T MISS

Wondrous Webster Has the Makings of a Wonderful Family Member

DON'T MISS

Trump Threatens Musk’s Government Deals as Feud Explodes Over Tax-Cut Bill

DON'T MISS

Fresno Police Want Your Tips to Solve Taylor Washington Homicide

UP NEXT

Trump: Putin Said Russia Would Respond to Ukraine Drone Attacks

UP NEXT

Mexico to Announce ‘Measures’ Next Week if No Deal on US Metals Tariffs

UP NEXT

Pressure Mounts on Netanyahu as Opposition Moves to Dissolve Parliament

UP NEXT

Dutch Government Collapses After Far-Right Leader Wilders Quits Coalition

UP NEXT

Gaza Ministry Says Israel Kills More Than 30 Aid Seekers, Israel Denies

UP NEXT

Nonprofit Ship Sets Sail for Gaza After Drone Attack Setback

UP NEXT

Israel Blocks Ramallah Meeting With Arab Ministers, Israeli Official Says

UP NEXT

Trump Amplifies Outlandish Robot Biden Conspiracy Theory

UP NEXT

Israeli Forces Open Fire a Kilometer Away From Gaza Aid Site, Killing 3, Health Officials Say

UP NEXT

Ukraine and Russia End Their Latest Round of Direct Peace Talks in Istanbul

SpaceX Will Decommission Dragon Spacecraft, Musk Says as Feud With Trump Escalates

15 hours ago

Erika Sandoval Gets Life Sentence in Notorious Tulare County Murder

15 hours ago

Israeli Military Strikes Beirut’s Southern Suburbs

16 hours ago

We Are Being Governed by the Trump Organization Inc.

16 hours ago

Wondrous Webster Has the Makings of a Wonderful Family Member

16 hours ago

Trump Threatens Musk’s Government Deals as Feud Explodes Over Tax-Cut Bill

16 hours ago

Fresno Police Want Your Tips to Solve Taylor Washington Homicide

18 hours ago

Derek Carr Explains Mysterious Retirement. He Didn’t Want to ‘Just Take the Saints’ Money’

19 hours ago

What Do Valley Leaders Say About Trump’s Threat to Yank High-Speed Rail Funding?

19 hours ago

Were Cuts in Rooftop Solar Payments Legal? CA Supreme Court Hears Arguments

20 hours ago

Fresno State’s Ag College Is Growing. A New Corporate Sponsor Will Help Them

The nonprofit supporting Fresno State’s ag specialty college unveiled its first corporate sponsor Thursday supporting students and tea...

14 hours ago

14 hours ago

Fresno State’s Ag College Is Growing. A New Corporate Sponsor Will Help Them

15 hours ago

Trump Compares Russia and Ukraine to Children Fighting

15 hours ago

Trump Administration Imposes Sanctions on Four ICC Judges in Unprecedented Move

15 hours ago

SpaceX Will Decommission Dragon Spacecraft, Musk Says as Feud With Trump Escalates

15 hours ago

Erika Sandoval Gets Life Sentence in Notorious Tulare County Murder

16 hours ago

Israeli Military Strikes Beirut’s Southern Suburbs

16 hours ago

We Are Being Governed by the Trump Organization Inc.

Webster, GV Wire's Adoptable Pet of the Week, June 5, 2025
16 hours ago

Wondrous Webster Has the Makings of a Wonderful Family Member

Help continue the work that gets you the news that matters most.

Search

Send this to a friend