Sioux Falls cleric attended retreat, shares post with pederastic archbishop

Some in Minnesota want to convene a grand jury as more cases of sexual abuse of children by Catholic clergy emerge amid cover-ups by the Church hierarchy.

Archbishop John Nienstedt, leader of the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis, has voluntarily "stepped aside from all public ministry" while police investigate an allegation that he touched a boy on the buttocks in 2009. The actions came after an ongoing MPR News investigation found that church leaders — including Nienstedt — protected abusive priests during their tenures. [Tom Scheck, Laura Yuen, Mike Cronin, Minnesota Public Radio]

Nienstedt is Chairman of the Board of Trustees for the University of St. Thomas where Sioux Falls Bishop Paul Swain serves on the Institutional Advancement Committee. They are standing together in the front row in the above photo.

Pope Benedict XVI appointed Paul J. Swain as the eighth bishop of Sioux Falls on August 31, 2006 and he was consecrated as Bishop of Sioux Falls on October 26, 2006. Bishop Swain previously served as a member of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops Committee for the Protection of Children and Young People.--bio, Catholic Diocese of Sioux Falls.

Mary Garrigan revealed in the Journal that the Church of the Holy Roman Kiddie Diddlers, Rapid City Branch, greased the anti-civil rights movement in Minnesota with a thousand simoleons:

Bishop Robert Gruss said Wednesday that the donation was made at his discretion after it was requested by Minnesota bishops. "Sometimes it takes money to stand up for worthy causes," he said.

Former legislator, pious Catholic, and one of the richest men in South Dakota, Lee Schoenbeck confessed in the online edition of South Dakota Magazine:

Through the sponsorship of organizations like Avera, Tessier’s and Muth Electric, the hunter’s registration fees and proceeds of the banquet auction, the Bishop’s Hunt generates funds. Initially the funds went to the support of the Catholic elementary school in Huron, and later the general mission of the Catholic Foundation. More recently, the funds have had a more focused purpose.

Not surprisingly, Schoenbeck sits on the board of the Catholic Foundation and represents the diocese as legal counsel.

Makes you want to puke, doesn't it?

Separation of church and state is just so bothersome in the chemical toilet, especially when litigation hurts donations.

President Barack Obama paid a campaign debt today.

In a major step toward fully implementing the historic Cobell settlement, the Department of the Interior announced today that it has sent initial purchase offers to consolidate ownership of highly fractionated trust lands. Working closely with the Oglala Sioux leadership to facilitate the Tribe’s priorities, owners of fractionated land interests at the Pine Ridge Reservation are the first to receive purchase offers under the Department’s Land Buy-Back Program for Tribal Nations. The Pine Ridge Reservation is among the most highly-fractionated locations in the United States. In Pine Ridge alone, there are approximately 6,028 tracts with 195,862 purchasable fractional interests. [Press release, US Dept. of Interior]

The Oglala Sioux Tribe was a vocal critic of and not a party to the Cobell suit.

The Native American and Indigenous Studies Association has joined the academic boycott of Israel.

Former @SenJohnsonSD staffer Galbraith Exits Obama Administration http://t.co/Sv5xjgnXjO via @IndianCountry #sdsen
— interested party (@larry_kurtz) December 18, 2013