John Roach (bishop)

John Robert Roach (July 31, 1921 – July 11, 2003) was an American Catholic prelate who served as Archbishop of Saint Paul and Minneapolis from 1975 to 1995. Appointed as an auxiliary bishop of the archdiocese in 1971, he his later appointment as archbishop made him the first St. Paul archbishop to have been born in Minnesota. Roach delivered a benediction at Jimmy Carter's inauguration in 1977 and was head of the National Conference of Catholic Bishops from 1980 to 1983. In 1985, he was arrested for drunk driving after crashing into a convenience store; he would later admit to being an alcoholic. Roach was alleged by MPR News to have protected and reassigned a priest accused of molesting girls. Both MPR and the Star Tribune criticised his handling of cases of sexual abuse by clergy. He oversaw a major reorganization and renovation of the Saint Paul Seminary and its affiliation and merger with the University of St. Thomas. He retired at age 74 on September 5, 1995, succeeded by Harry Flynn. Roach died at age 81 on July 11, 2003.