ST. PAUL — Attorneys for an alleged sexual abuse victim plan today to release St. Paul and Minneapolis Archbishop John Nienstedt’s deposition.

Nienstedt testified under oath for four hours April 2 about the way church officials have responded to allegations of sexual abuse by priests.

Attorney Mike Finnegan, who represents a man who says he was sexually abused by a priest in the 1970s, said it’s important for the public to be able to read the archbishop’s testimony.

Church lawyers tried for months to block the deposition on the grounds it is not relevant to the case. But a Ramsey County judge and the Minnesota Court of Appeals disagreed.

The archdiocese released a statement after the deposition, saying Nienstedt had explained that children’s safety is the archdiocese’s highest priority.