MINNESOTA
St. Cloud Times
Editorial
The message from Rome and from civil authorities in St. Paul is quite clear: Bishops and other church leaders will be held accountable for their actions in dealing with clergy who abuse children.
The departure of Archbishop John Nienstedt from the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis is overdue. His resignation, whether it was his decision or at the direction of the Vatican, had to happen. In fact, it should have been done months ago.
The archdiocese must immediately begin the painful process of establishing trust. Otherwise, there is little reason for the 800,000 Catholics in the archdiocese to believe anything that comes from the leadership.
Of course, the embattled archdiocese faces criminal charges and a civil petition because of what is alleged to be a failure to protect children from a former priest who church officials should have known posed a risk.
While dealing with the court action must be a priority, convincing people church leaders can be trusted is even more important.
Note: This is an Abuse Tracker excerpt. Click the title to view the full text of the original article. If the original article is no longer available, see our News Archive.