MINNESOTA
National Catholic Reporter
Brian Roewe | Sep. 15, 2014
Absent a renewed emphasis in interpersonal outreach, the current pastoral state of the St. Paul-Minneapolis archdiocese “is not sustainable,” said 12 tenured theology professors of the University of St. Thomas in an open letter to Archbishop John Nienstedt.
The letter, dated Friday and made public Monday, comes in response to the ongoing clergy sexual abuse scandal in the archdiocese — what the faculty called “a grave blot” on the archdiocese’s history — that has raised criticisms of how Nienstedt and other church officials handled allegations of child sexual abuse by clergy.
The result has been more than legal troubles for the Twin Cities church, the theologians said, but “a spiritual crisis.”
“The people of God rightly expect bishops to be good stewards of the Lord’s household,” the professors wrote, pointing to Pope Francis’ February address to the Congregation for Bishops where he stated “The bishop as a witness of Christ, is not isolated, but with the Church.”
“Recent events have shown how badly the pastoral leadership of the Archdiocese has failed to meet those expectations. We refer not only to the multi-faceted sexual abuse scandal itself but also to the manner in which these scandals have been handled,” they said.
In a response letter sent Monday afternoon, Nienstedt expressed gratitude for the “thoughtful advice and your willingness to share it,” adding “I am very sorry for anything I or my predecessors have done to cause Catholics to doubt their faith or the sacred trust that is placed in Church leadership.”
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