MINNESOTA
Legal Examiner
Posted by Joe Crumley
June 15, 2015
The news of Archbishop John Nienstedt’s apparent ouster by the church is flying through the Minnesota and Roman Catholic blogosphere. The Star Tribune banner headline highlighted the big story.
Still, there’s a more important question. Who will replace him? Remember, Nienstedt got the Archbishop job after he presided over a very similar priest sex abuse fiasco as Bishop in New Ulm. There was a cover up there, and when he came to St. Paul, he continued the same way if thinking. Will the church bring in a real reformer or will it be more of the same?
While it is good news that the church final acted. But survivors, parishioners alike want to know the reason for the change. Is this change being made just so Nienstadt can’t be called ‘former’ archbishop when he is charged or when further cover up is revealed?Are they bringing in another cleaning crew? Or is it actually a bout of conscience?
The church has a pattern of bring in replacements with experience in these scandals. Since the ‘experienced’ bishops have been mostly involved in covering over more than reforming, they tend to bring in someone with a history of covering, and hiding, rather than openness and reform. If they bring in another bishop who has a history of scandal and cover up, this is really only a change in names.
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