MINNESOTA
KSTP
[See also the previous letter by tenured female faculty of the Department of Theology of the University of St. Thomas.]
By: Megan Matthews
The Theology Department of the University of St. Thomas is calling on the Archdiocese to make changes in light of sexual abuse scandals and how the church has handled those scandals. In an open letter to the Archbishop of St. Paul and Minneapolis, the Rev. John Nienstedt, and the local church, the department says the Archdiocese is in a spiritual crisis and legal crisis.
The letter comes after months of mounting pressure for Nienstedt to step down for allegedly covering up child sexual abuse by priests. Nienstedt has repeatedly denied the allegations and said he has no intention of quitting as head of the Catholic Church in Minnesota.
The Theology Department says the legal action being taken will not undo the spiritual damage the scandal has done to the church.
“While we support the rights of the victims of sexual crimes to justice and hope that resolutions of the lawsuits will offer appropriate restitution that leads to their healing, we know that no legal decision will heal the damage done to the Body of Christ,” the letter reads.
The letter lays out three main points:
“Leave the legal talk to the lawyers; bring pastoral talk to the people.”
“Re-introduce yourself to the people and parishes that are our Archdiocese.”
“Engage lay people in the important work of the Archdiocese.”
The department members are asking the church to reach out to its community and start to repair the trust. “Trust within the Church and between the Church and the local community has been badly broken,” the letter says. They say one of the steps in the process of restoring that trust is to listen to members of the church.
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