John Francis Kinney

John Francis Kinney (June 11, 1937 – September 27, 2019) was an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church.

Kinney attended DeLaSalle High School in Minneapolis before entering Nazareth Hall Seminary in St.

From 1968 to 1971, Kinney completed his graduate studies at the Pontifical Lateran University in Rome, obtaining a doctorate in canon law.

[3] Kinney was named by Pope John Paul II as the fifth Bishop of Bismarck, North Dakota, on June 28, 1982, and was installed on August 23, 1982.

At the US Conference of Catholic Bishops (UCCB) in 1993, Kinney headed a new committee on sexual abuse allegations that was named "Uncomfortable Listening".

[4] Kinney 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.