Archbishop John Nienstedt
drafted a letter to the Vatican last year about whether the pornographic
images found on a Hugo priest's computer hard drive could "expose the
Archdiocese, as well as myself, to criminal prosecution," according to a
copy of the document given to Minnesota Public Radio. The letter was provided to MPR by Jennifer Haselberger, a former official of the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis, who said it was never mailed. Haselberger gave it to St. Paul police.
Nienstedt wrote to Cardinal William Levada on May 29, 2012, that the discovery of pornography on the computer of Rev. Jonathan Shelley occurred before he became archbishop. He was therefore "unable to comment as to why this matter was not reported to you at that time," as required by a papal order of 2001.
The letter provides more detail about the behind-the-scenes maneuvering of archdiocese officials regarding the discovery of Shelley's computer.
A St. Paul police investigation, prompted when Haselberger reported the pornography to the Ramsey County attorney's office last year, was closed Sept. 29 for lack of evidence, but was reopened Tuesday, police said.
In the first probe, investigators found only adult pornography, not child pornography, on the computer discs provided by the archdiocese.
But a private investigator hired by the archdiocese concluded that some of the images were "borderline illegal, because of the youthful looking male image."
The archdiocese refused to give the private investigator's report to police.
The archdiocese did not immediately respond to a request for comment Tuesday. It said Sunday that recent press reports on Shelley and another priest have prompted it to convene a new, independent task force to review "any and all issues related to clergy misconduct."
The Hugo man who initially turned over Shelley's hard drive to the archdiocese remembered last week that he had made his own copy of the data files.
A police investigator picked up that evidence Friday. Another document Haselberger gave to a radio reporter reveals her concern, as expressed directly to Nienstedt, about the Shelley case.
In a letter to the archbishop in May 2012, Haselberger said that the archdiocese in 2004 asked that Shelley allow church officials to examine his two other personal computers.
"When he received that request, Father Shelley immediately destroyed one of the computers, and while he initially indicated he would permit an analysis of the third computer, he changed his mind and never provided the Archdiocese with access to it," Haselberger wrote.
Shelley was the pastor at St. Jude of the Lake parish in Mahtomedi when the pornography was discovered. On Sept. 24, 2004, the parish mailed a letter to members, according to a copy provided by Haselberger to MPR.
"As a result of an allegation of inappropriate activity by our
pastor, Father Jon Shelley has been temporarily removed from his
pastoral duties here at Saint Jude of the Lake Parish," the letter said. The decision was made "as a result of discussions between the Vicar General of the Archdiocese (Kevin McDonough), Father Jon and the trustees of our parish..."
The letter goes on to describe the basis for the decision: "Inappropriate materials were located on a computer that belonged to Father Jon." The archdiocese initiated an investigation, the letter said.
Concerns about Shelley had surfaced years earlier, according to the 2012 letter from Nienstedt to the Vatican.
Nienstedt wrote that prior to Shelly's 1995 ordination, "concerns were brought to the attention of the Archdiocese regarding then seminarian/Deacon Shelley and his interactions with teenage male retreatants at Dunrovin Retreat Center.
No sexual contact between Father Shelley and the young men was alleged, but a fellow counselor at the Retreat Center reported that Father Shelley wrestled with the boys in the swimming pool and otherwise had difficulties maintaining proper boundaries between himself and the (boys).
"This was investigated, determined to be a matter of poor judgment, and Father Shelley was allowed to proceed in formation," the letter said. Other events leading to questions about Shelley included his allowing an 18-year-old parishioner to live in the parish offices during a dispute with his parents, according to the letter. Haselberger also gave to police a copy of a letter Shelley had written sometime after February 2012 to the singer Neil Diamond. (The letter is undated.)
He had attended "well over 100" concerts of Diamond's, Shelley
wrote sometime after February 2012. But was considering skipping his next show in St. Paul, for which he had $450 tickets, because of an upsetting encounter with Diamond's guitarist.
In February 2012, "I was informed that (Hadley) Hockensmith sent out an electronic communication to two very close friends... (he) accuses me of 'indiscretions with young boys'," Shelley wrote.
Shelley said there was "no basis of truth" to the accusations.
The priest also has recently denied to reporters that he had child pornography on his computer.
Haselberger resigned under duress in April from her position as chancellor for canonical affairs.