MINNEAPOLIS — Former Twin Cities Archbishop John Nienstedt said he remains “dumbfounded” by allegations of personal misconduct that emerged last year during an internal church investigation, according to a published report Sunday.

“It pains me deeply that my good name and reputation have been put into question by allegations that are entirely false and based wholly on rumor, hearsay, or innuendo,” Nienstedt said last week in written responses to questions from the Star Tribune.

The Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis commissioned the investigation. The Star Tribune reports the probe looked into claims that Nienstedt had engaged in behavior that was inappropriate for a priest.

Nienstedt resigned June 15 after prosecutors filed charges against the archdiocese for failing to protect children from a priest later convicted of molesting two boys. Nienstedt said he hoped his resignation would “give the archdiocese a new beginning.”