Priest who possessed pornography returns to ministry

Published 10:09 pm Thursday, January 11, 2018

ST. PAUL — A Minnesota priest is returning to limited ministry years after pornography was found on his computer.

The Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis announced Thursday that the Rev. Jonathan Shelley will return to ministry and serve people in prisons and jails. He’ll be under the direction of a deacon and subjected to security and oversight of the facilities he visits.

Shelley has been out of ministry since 2012. While Shelley was accused of searching for child pornography, authorities concluded none of the images on his old computer were illegal and he was not charged.

Email newsletter signup

Shelley’s case was among several that raised questions about the way the archdiocese handled abuse cases. After the photos were found in 2004, the archdiocese hired an investigator but didn’t bring the images to police.