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…