MINNESOTA
KARE
[with video]
Blake McCoy, KARE 11:53 p.m. EDT September 15, 2014
ST. PAUL, Minn. – A group of 12 theology professors at the University of St. Thomas have signed an open letter criticizing Archbishop John Nienstedt in the wake of the clergy sex abuse scandal.
“The Catholic Church locally here is living in two separate universes and that’s not good,” said professor Massimo Faggioli.
MORE: Theologian letter to Archbishop
The two universes he speaks of are how the local archdiocese views things behind closed doors and reality.
They sent their letter to Archbishop Nienstedt on Monday and are calling for three main points of change:
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.
These professors believe the church is in a spiritual crisis, as well as a legal one.
“The crisis we are in can not be solves by lawyers, by judges, by settlements. It’s too big,” said Dr. Faggioli.
Archbishop Nienstedt responded Monday afternoon saying healing and reconciliation are at the heart of his mission.
MORE: Archbishop response letter
The archbishop claims to have stepped out of the clergy bubble and surrounded himself with more lay people. He says he often makes unpublicized visits to parishes on weekends.
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