MINNEAPOLIS — Archbishop John Nienstedt will not face criminal charges in connection with an allegation that he inappropriately touched a boy during a public photo shoot in 2009, authorities announced Tuesday.

Nienstedt, who had strongly denied the allegation but stepped down from public ministry while police investigated, said Tuesday he will now resume all of his public duties.

“I look forward to returning to public ministry during this Lenten season, especially during Holy Week and the great feast of Easter,” Nienstedt said in a statement. “I continue to offer my prayers for all … who have been harmed by clergy sexual abuse. I once again offer my apology to all who have been affected by these terrible offenses.”

The Ramsey County Attorney’s Office said Tuesday’s announcement resolves this specific case against Nienstedt, but other investigations into allegations of child sexual abuse within the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis are ongoing.

Police say there are currently eight other open investigations.

Nienstedt announced Dec. 17 that he had been accused of touching a boy on the buttocks during a public photo session following a confirmation ceremony in 2009.

During an interview with police, the alleged victim said it happened when he and others were lining up for a group photograph. He told police Nienstedt had one hand on his shoulder, but then moved that hand down the boy’s back to his buttocks, according to a memo that outlines why prosecutors declined to file charges.

“The male said he thought that it was ‘creepy’ but did not feel violated,” Criminal Division Director Richard Dusterhoft wrote in the memo.

In the photo, Nienstedt is directly behind the alleged victim, with his left hand on the staff he carries and his right hand on the boy’s left shoulder. There are 11 other people in the photo, including a priest and a deacon.

“The group is arranged on the stairs and the Archbishop is standing one step higher than the male,” the memo said. “It appears from the photograph that the Archbishop would have to bend to reach the male’s buttocks and that any such action would likely have been witnessed by others present.”