MINNESOTA
Canonical Consultation
11/10/2014
Jennifer Haselberger
There is no doubt that Rome is a fascinating city and one that is always a pleasure to visit. But, most travels guides recommend travel in the spring or early autumn, when it is dry and pleasantly warm. November and December, being the wettest months, are not generally recommended for tourism or leisure travel.
Which is one reason that I was surprised to hear rumors that Bishop Piche and Bishop Cozzens were in Rome last week. It would make sense for Bishop Cozzens to have gone to Rome earlier in the fall for the seminar for new bishops, but for both bishops to have gone to Rome, in November, and without their Archbishop, seems odd to me.
I don’t want to raise expectations that the situation in Saint Paul and Minneapolis is finally getting attention from the Holy See, nor do I think we can safely conclude that the investigation into Archbishop Nienstedt’s conduct has been completed and some sort of resolution is imminent. After all, perhaps the rumors are false. Perhaps the only ‘City of Seven Hills’ the bishops visited last week was Saint Paul. Or, perhaps they were in Rome, but were called there because the Holy See, like many of the rest of us, has questions regarding the landmark settlement announced last month. And, perhaps Archbishop Nienstedt was there with them, as he claims to have been when the two auxiliaries met with the Nuncio earlier this year.
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