Famous Last Words?

By Jennifer Haselberger
Canonical Consultation
March 28, 2015

http://canonicalconsultation.com/blog.html

As I wrote yesterday, on Thursday the Chrism Mass of the Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis was held at the Cathedral of Saint Paul. However, it has not been easy for me to find a priest who was there, or at least is willing to admit he was. Reports from others in attendance suggest that the presbyteral turnout was noticeably low, although an exact number is not available. The rarely reliable Catholic Spirit claims that 'scores of priests' renewed the promises made at their ordination (alas, dear Spirit editors, diocesan priests do not take vows, they make promises). This is itself interesting, considering that the total presbyterate at any given moment should be around 400, and a 'score' is only twenty. 

The Catholic Spirit goes on to report that Archbishop John Nienstedt made a point of addressing the ongoing sexual abuse crisis and consequent bankruptcy in his homily, stating

'I fear a certain fragmentation and fracturing has been created between Catholic institutions and even parishes and the office of the archbishop. This division can be summed up in the saying, ‘I’ll support my parish but I will not support the archdiocese'.


Actually, I am pretty sure it can be summed up by saying, 'I'll support my parish, but I will not support this Archbishop', but I appreciate that at least the Archbishop is finally acknowledging that things aren't all rosy. This is a contrast to his statements last July, for instance, in which he claimed to 'want to be that bridge between people and God, and I don't want to have anything interfere with that,' and 'I think the people that know me well know I've got their best interests at heart'. 

That interview came, as you will recall, after I made public the fact that the Archbishop himself was under investigation (and continues to be) due to accusations of sexual misconduct. Interestingly, that investigation seemed far from the Archbishop's mind at the Chrism Mass, or one would have to assume he would be more careful in what he said (and where were the PR consultants that were reputedly hired?).

For, at the end of the Mass, when drawing the crowd's attention to the large cadre of seminarians in attendance, the Archbishop noted that they would soon be going on 'spring break', and he cautioned them by saying, 'Don't do anything I wouldn't do'. (Shockingly this did not make it into the Catholic Spirit report.)

Now, I am sure those seminarians are an obedient and docile bunch (otherwise one would assume they would have packed up their things and hightailed it out of the W.D.O.E before now), but even they might find it difficult to obey the Archbishop's command in this matter. After all, what is it that he wouldn't do? Based on the reports that I have heard over the past two years, not much. I am sure that the seminarians have questions as to the Archbishop's boundaries in terms of personal conduct, as do the rest of us. So, Archbishop, assist your 'men' (as you like to call the seminarians) and release the Greene Espel report. And do it quickly. Spring break is just around the corner.