John Francis Kinney
John Francis Kinney was an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as the ninth bishop of the Diocese of St. Cloud in Minnesota from 1995 to 2013.
Kinney previously served as the fifth bishop of the Diocese of Bismarck in North Dakota from 1982 to 1995 and as an auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis in Minnesota from 1976 to 1982.
Biography
Early life
John Kinney was born on June 11, 1937, in Oelwein, Iowa, to John and Marie Kinney. He received his primary education at St. Thomas Elementary School in Winona, Minnesota, and Annunciation elementary school in Minneapolis. Kinney attended DeLaSalle High School in Minneapolis before entering Nazareth Hall Seminary in St. Paul. Kinney graduated from St. Paul Seminary in St. Paul in 1963.Priesthood
Kinney was ordained to the priesthood by Archbishop Leo Binz on February 2, 1963, in the Cathedral of Saint Paul in St. Paul. After his ordination, the archdiocese assigned Kinney as assistant pastor of St. Thomas Parish in Minneapolis. He was named vice-chancellor of the archdiocese in 1966. From 1968 to 1971, Kinney completed his graduate studies at the Pontifical Lateran University in Rome, obtaining a doctorate in canon law.After returning to Minnesota, he resumed his post as vice-chancellor, rising to become full chancellor in 1973. He also served as pastor of St. Leonard of Port Maurice Parish in Minneapolis
Auxiliary Bishop of St. Paul-Minneapolis
On November 9, 1976, Kinney was appointed as an auxiliary bishop of Saint Paul and Minneapolis and titular bishop of Caprulae by Pope Paul VI. He received his episcopal consecration on January 25, 1977, from Archbishop John Roach, with Archbishop Binz and Bishop James Richard Ham serving as co-consecrators, in the Basilica of Saint Mary in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Kinney served as archdiocesan vicar for parishes from 1979 to 1982.Bishop of Bismarck
Kinney was named by Pope John Paul II as the fifth bishop of Bismarck on June 28, 1982, and was installed on August 23, 1982. He served on the board of Catholic Relief Services from 1993 to 1998. At the US Conference of Catholic Bishops in 1993, Kinney headed a new committee on sexual abuse allegations that was named "Uncomfortable Listening". He made these remarks:I want to make sure that all of us bishops understand the depth and seriousness, the pain and the agony of this problem, and why it strikes at the very heart of the church's trust level and credibility.