Items thought to be stolen from Archbishop found

Bishop John Nienstedt
Twin Cities Archbishop John Nienstedt is traveling in Europe with a group of about 100 church officials and worshippers. He is scheduled to return home early next week.
MPR Photo/Greta Cunningham

Officials with the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis Wednesday discovered some items thought to have been stolen in a robbery over the weekend.

Thieves broke into the home of Archbishop John Nienstedt Saturday and got away with a handful of spiritual jewelry items and a camera. But additional rare and historically significant crosses and rings were discovered in a box hidden in the Archbishop's bedroom.

Dennis McGrath, spokesman for the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis, said police are still searching for whoever stole the other valuable items.

"Emotional, spiritual and sentimental significance, and they are costly too. And they took at least two of his rings; one was a gold signet ring. In days of yore, bishops used to use that to sign the hot wax seal," McGrath said. Police say the burglars are thought to have broken into a second story window. Nienstedt is traveling in Europe with a group of about 100 church officials and worshippers. He is scheduled to return home early next week.

Police are still searching for suspects in the case.

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