MINNESOTA
KARE
Laura Yuen, Madeleine Baran, Minnesota Public Radio News 8:58 a.m. EDT July 15, 2014
Some prominent Catholics are demanding the resignation of Twin Cities Archbishop John Nienstedt, saying the credibility of the entire archdiocese is at stake. The call for change among lay Catholics is rising after an
showed how three Twin Cities archbishops kept quiet about priests who sexually abused children.
After details of abuse and cover-ups began emerging last fall, Nienstedt publicly admitted mistakes had been made. One of his top deputies resigned and the archbishop named a task force that this spring cited poor oversight and flawed policies in the handling of abuse allegations. But it hasn’t been enough to restore the confidence of Catholics like Jim Frey, who says the only way the archdiocese can begin to heal is if Nienstedt steps down.
“I would say if there’s anything the laity can do, it’s to speak with one voice to say as loudly as we can, ‘The time has come to resign,'” he says.
Frey is a major donor to Catholic organizations. He says lay Catholics felt a bit of hope last week when Pope Francis promised to hold bishops accountable for failing to protect kids from sexual abuse. But here in the Twin Cities, Frey says the church scandal has dragged out for nearly a year with few consequences for top church officials.
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