Open Letter to Archbishop Nienstedt: ‘the Archdiocese Is in a Spiritual Crisis’

By Megan Matthews
KSTP
September 15, 2014

http://kstp.com/news/stories/S3561861.shtml?cat=1

[See also the previous letter by tenured female faculty of the Department of Theology of the University of St. Thomas.]

Archbishop Nienstedt

The Theology Department of the University of St. Thomas is calling on the Archdiocese to make changes in light of sexual abuse scandals and how the church has handled those scandals. In an open letter to the Archbishop of St. Paul and Minneapolis, Rev. John Nienstedt, and the local church, the department says the Archdiocese is in a spiritual crisis and legal crisis.

The letter comes after months of mounting pressure for Nienstedt to step down for allegedly covering up child sexual abuse by priests. Nienstedt has repeatedly denied the allegations and said he has no intention of quitting as head of the Catholic Church in Minnesota. He also responded to the letter with a letter of his own.

"I am very sorry for anything I or my predecessors have done to cause Catholics to doubt their faith or the sacred trust that is placed in Church leadership," Nienstedt's letter reads. "I am grateful, too, for your thoughtful advice and your willingness to share it."