Catholic Archbishop in Minnesota Abuse Scandal Comes to Michigan Parish
By Rosemary Parker
A Roman Catholic archbishop who was accused of failing to protect children from sexual abuse and resigned in the wake of the civil and criminal charges against his archdiocese of Minneapolis has taken on new work, assisting at St. Philip parish in Battle Creek. A spokesperson for the Diocese of Kalamazoo confirmed Wednesday that Archbishop Emeritus John C. Nienstedt arrived at the Battle Creek parish Jan.6.
Just a few weeks earlier, the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis signed a 28-page settlement agreement that ended a civil lawsuit brought against the Roman Catholic archdiocese by three victims of sexual abuse by a priest. The lawsuit, and related criminal charges, were the first in the country ever launched against an archdiocese for complicity in sex abuse cases. Criminal charges accusing the archdiocese of repeatedly ignoring complaints of priestly misconduct are still pending. The priest convicted in 2013 of molesting boys is now in prison. Nienstedt, the imprisoned priest's former boss, "has volunteered to assist temporarily the pastor of St. Philip Parish in Battle Creek in light of the pastor's ongoing serious health challenges," the statement from the Kalamazoo Diocese said. Nienstedt was introduced to the parish via a letter in the church bulletin Jan. 10 as pastor John Fleckenstein's old friend from Detroit. The bulletin notice said Nienstedt will assist in various pastoral ministries -- celebrating some of the weekend and weekday Masses, visiting the sick, and celebrating Mass for the nursing home and assisted living facilities, as well as celebrating some Sunday Masses at other congregations in the Diocese. The letter outlines his early work in Detroit and Minnesota, but makes no mention of the scandal that has rocked Nienstedt's former archdiocese or allegations against Nienstedt himself. Those allegations were the subject of an investigation, the findings of which have apparently never been released. Bishop Lee Piche, auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis, wrote on the archdiocese's website on July 1, 2014: "Several months ago, the Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis received claims regarding alleged misbehavior involving Archbishop John Nienstedt. The claims did not involve anything criminal or with minors. The Archbishop asked me to investigate these claims, so I hired an independent firm to conduct a thorough investigation. The investigation is ongoing and I will respond appropriately as the process continues. Please keep all involved in your prayers." Piche and Neinstedt both resigned on June 15, 2015. A Minnesota Public Radio report aired four days after the resignations claims Nienstedt was pressured to resign in part after several people, including former seminary students, submitted sworn statements to investigators accusing Nienstedt of inappropriate behavior, including sexual advances toward at least two priests. The law firm hired to conduct the investigation claimed Neinstedt was impeding their work and the investigation was ended, but its findings were not made public. Click here to read that story. Tom Halden, director of communications for the Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis, declined to comment on the status or outcome of the investigation or on Nienstedt's new work in Michigan. The Diocese of Kalamazoo issued the following statement regarding Neinstedt's role at St. Phillip's: "The Diocese of Kalamazoo is committed to providing safe environments for all people. As is the case for any priest or bishop ministering in the Diocese, Archbishop Emeritus Nienstedt begins his temporary ministry at St. Philip Parish as a priest in good standing, having met the Church's stringent standards required to attain that status. As such he is welcome in the Diocese of Kalamazoo for the several months that he will be available to offer supplemental sacramental ministry to the people of St. Philip Parish." According to the church bulletin, after about six months, Nienstedt anticipates moving on to a new ministry. Attempts to reach parishioners about how much they have been told regarding Nienstedt's troubles in Minnesota were not immediately successful. But David Clohessy of St. Louis, director of SNAP, the Survivors Network of those abused by Priests, called the decision to welcome Nienstedt's services "a stunningly reckless and callous move." "This is an outrage," Clohessy said. "Kalamazoo church officials are putting young people in harm's way. It's just that simple." Clohessy said his group plans to ask the Pope to address the situation and warns: "Catholics who believe their church hierarchy has reformed and now handles abuse cases better should take note. " In a telephone interview late Wednesday, he said: "The signal this sends is that no matter how many people you have harmed, if you have that (Roman Catholic) collar we'll always have a job for you." A spokesperson for the Kalamazoo diocese said Wednesday night that the diocese checked with others in higher positions of ecclesiastical authority and "was given assurances that there was nothing standing in the way of Archbishop Nienstedt being considered a priest in good standing and helping out a brother priest who is ill in providing pastoral care to people proper to a priest. "Archbishop Nienstedt exercising his priestly ministry is not an appointment or assignment," the spokesperson said. "Archbishop Nienstedt is a retired priest helping out a fellow priest." rparker3@mlive.com
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