Under protocols issued this year by Pope Francis, Archbishop Bernard Hebda has submitted a report to the Congregation of Bishops in Rome regarding an allegation against Bishop Michael Hoeppner of Crookston.
Qualified lay persons, including staff from the archdiocese’s Office of Ministerial Standards and Safe Environment and other experts, conducted the investigation, the archbishop said in a Nov. 5 statement.
Bishop Hoeppner was accused of actions or omissions intended to interfere with or avoid civil or canonical investigations of clerical sexual misconduct in the Crookston diocese. At the request of the Holy See, the archbishop oversaw the preliminary investigation as the metropolitan for the province of Minnesota, North Dakota and South Dakota. Any further steps will be determined by the Holy See.
