Pope Francis and Archbishop Nienstedt

By Jerry Slevin
The Christian Catholicism
December 18, 2013

http://christiancatholicism.com/pope-francis-and-archbishop-nienstedt/



If the child abuse scandal is Pope Francis’ Achilles Heel, then Archbishop Niensted’s Minneapolis/St. Paul Archdiocese is the pressure point. Nine months have passed since Francis became Pope. He has not yet directly and convincingly either condemned this abuse and the clerics who enable it or offered a proposed solution to curtailing it.

Moreover, has Pope Francis ever really publicly criticized any bishop over child abuse, in Rome or when he was in Argentina? Indeed, as recently reported, the first compensation payments to Argentine priest abuse survivors were just made recently to victims of a priest convicted almost a decade ago, while Francis was the senior local Church leader, see:

[GobalPost]

Even Francis’ recent appointment as a US bishop of a cleric, who reportedly admitted under oath to destroying approximately 50 suspected abuser priests’ files, suggests that Francis may underestimate the seriousness of the abuse crisis.

[SNAP]

The rapidity with which Archbishop Nienstedt stepped aside after a single allegation of improper touching is surprising.

[Minnesota Public Radio]

This is especially surprising, since Kansas City’s Bishop Finn has continued to serve as bishop even after a criminal conviction relating to his failure to report timely a priest child pornographer.

Of course, Archbishop Nienstedt has also been a key leader of the anti-gay marriage crusade. As the US bishops gear up again to make this a key political “wedge issue” in their new efforts to help conservatives try to gain control of the US Senate in 10 months (and thereby help maintain a conservative US Supreme Court majority), Archbishop Nienstedt’s absence may be desirable for the hierarchy’s political purposes as well.

Archbishop Nienstedt’s sudden withdrawal surely suggests that more troubling revelations about other Minneapolis scandals could soon be coming. Depending on the police investigation results, this could possibly even include the establishment of a grand jury and even potential indictments.

Ominously, the unusual public complaint yesterday of the local police chief about Minneapolis/St.Paul clerics’ refusing to talk about specific abuse cases to the police just amplified the escalating seriousness of the situation.

The police chief specifically complained about the lack of cooperation of former Archdiocesean vicar general, Fr. Kevin McDonough, the brother of President Obama’s Chief of Staff, Denis McDonough. The head of a Minnesota abuse survivors group has now even called on local Catholics to stop contributing until Church officials begin the process to remove Fr. McDonough from the priesthood! See:

http://www.snapnetwork.org/mn_snap_to_catholics_don_t_donate_until_fr_mcdonough_is_defrocked

Of course, the police likely have open access to ex-Archdiocesean Chancellor Jennifer Haselberger, the female whistle blower who worked closely with Archbishop Nienstedt and Fr. McDonough.

Pope Francis’ new strategy seems to be to try to distance himself from specific abuse scandals and to shift the internal abuse investigation process from the Vatican back to the local bishops. Of course, local bishops are similarly unaccountable like Vatican officials, so this cannot work, and in any event it is too late. Catholics, and prosecutors, appear to want action now.

Given this seemingly new Vatican strategy, it was surprising that Pope Francis has just continued Cardinal Levada on the important committee that selects bishops. Levada oversaw the failed Vatican child protection committee for some years until recently. This committee was reportedly involved in at least one of the cases central to the current Minneapolis scandals.

Many bishops seemingly recruited and retained many questionable priests due often to priest shortages, which are now only getting worse. A major portion of abuse cases appear to have occurred AFTER bishops had adequate notice of abusive priests’ criminal tendencies. It is clear Francis has to increase the supply of good priest candidates and make bishops accountable again to the oversight of lay Catholics, which worked well enough in the early Church. Clerics have proven repeatedly that they cannot be trusted to police themselves.

Francis could authorize married priests tomorrow and begin the process towards welcoming women priests. He could also begin the process of involving lay Catholics in a meaningful and significant way in selecting and overseeing local bishops. If Francis doesn’t do this soon, storms like the ones arising in Minneapolis will likely soon sink St. Peter’s Barque.

There are too many leaks in the Vatican’s dike to plug them merely with new unaccountable bishops. Bishops must again be made subject to the People of God, as they were in the Church the Apostles left behind. And more and better priests are needed now.