Amid resignation calls, Minn. archbishop says he will stay

MINNESOTA
Catholic News Agency

Minneapolis, Minn., Aug 1, 2014 / 12:30 pm (CNA/EWTN News).- Archbishop John Nienstedt of Saint Paul-Minneapolis, facing calls for his resignation amid legal battles over the local Church’s handling of clerical sex abuse, apologized Wednesday but refused to resign.

“It comes down to this: 18 years ago, Pope John Paul II chose me to serve the Church as a bishop, an authentic successor of the apostles,” he wrote in a July 30 column at The Catholic Spirit.

“A bishop’s role is more like that of a father of a family than that of a CEO. I am bound to continue in my office as long as the Holy Father has appointed me here.”

“I have acknowledged my responsibility in the current crisis we face, and I also take responsibility for leading our archdiocese to a new and better day.”

The column began noting that “to say this has been a difficult year is quite an understatement.”

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