How a Sex Scandal in Minnesota Could Impact 1.2 Million Catholics in N.J.
By Mark Mueller
Two years ago, in what was widely seen as a move to steady the leadership in the controversy-ridden Archdiocese of Newark, Pope Francis tapped a little known but well regarded bishop, Bernard Hebda, to serve as Archbishop John J. Myers' top assistant and eventual successor. Now, with Hebda chosen to stabilize a far more troubled diocese in Minnesota, the question is when he will return to Newark full-time, if at all. The pope on Monday named Hebda, 55, interim leader of the Archdiocese of Minneapolis and St. Paul, which was criminally charged last week for what a prosecutor described as a systemic failure to protect children from a sexually abusive priest. Hebda replaces Archbishop John Nienstedt, who resigned Monday morning with his top assistant, Auxiliary Bishop Lee Piche. In a statement, Hebda said he will remain Newark's co-adjutor archbishop, the official term for a bishop-in-waiting, and he stressed that his role in Minnesota would be temporary. In addition, Jim Goodness, a spokesman for Myers, said he expects no change in Hebda's future assignment as leader of the Newark Archdiocese. But at least one Vatican-watcher said it's far too early to know what Francis will decide. "He might just get Minnesota," said the Rev. Thomas Reese, a senior analyst with the National Catholic Reporter and former editor of America, a Catholic magazine. "The Vatican is responding to an emergency situation in Minneapolis and has made no decision about where Hebda will finally end up," Reese said. "If he does a great job in Minneapolis and the people come to like him, the Vatican would be smart to leave him there." Hebda's transfer comes as the pope appears to be moving more aggressively than his predecessors to address the accountability of bishops on clergy sexual abuse. Last week, Francis announced the establishment of a tribunal to judge bishops accused of mishandling or covering up sex abuse claims against priests. Another surprise followed Monday morning with the announcement that a former Polish archbishop, Jozef Wesolowski, would stand trial in the Vatican for allegedly paying to have sex with children. Francis named Hebda Newark's co-adjutor in September 2013 following a torrent of criticism over Myers' handling of the Rev. Michael Fugee, who attended youth retreats and heard confessions from teens despite a court-mandated ban on contact with children. Fugee has since been kicked out of the priesthood, and he remains under the supervision of the Bergen County Prosecutor's Office. At the time of Hebda's appointment, the pope's decision was seen as both a rebuke of Myers and a salve for the 1.2 million Roman Catholics who make up the archdiocese. Christopher Bellitto, an associate professor of history at Kean University and an expert on papal affairs, said Newark's parishioners "got a measure of relief" when Hebda arrived from the tiny Diocese of Gaylord, Mich. Bellitto said he suspects Hebda will ultimately return to Newark to succeed Myers, though the date could change. "My sense is that the timetable on Newark is entirely contingent on Minnesota," Bellitto said. "So all of a sudden the Twin Cities become very important to the people of the Archdiocese of Newark." Myers is required to submit a letter of resignation to the pope when he turns 75 in July 2016, though Francis could choose to keep him on as long as he sees fit. How soon Myers is replaced might depend on his health — he recently underwent hip surgery — and whether the situation in Minnesota calms quickly. "Hebda has a reputation as a fixer, so he was sent to Newark to help the situation," Bellitto said. "He's got a much more complicated situation to work on in Minnesota." The charges against the Archdiocese of Minneapolis and St. Paul involve Curtis Wehmeyer, a former priest now in prison for sexually assaulting three boys between 2008 and 2010. In announcing charges against the archdiocese last week, a prosecutor said church leaders allowed Wehmeyer to remain in ministry despite repeated complaints about his behavior from parishioners and a history of promiscuity and alcohol abuse when he was in the seminary in the 1990s. Nienstedt, the archbishop, was not personally charged with a crime, and in a statement Monday morning, he said he leaves his post "with a clear conscience." Myers has faced his own trials in Newark. Beyond the supervision of Fugee, the archbishop came under fire for allowing a priest who was credibly accused of sexual abuse to take up residence in a church rectory without informing parishioners. Myers again came under fire when The Star-Ledger disclosed early last year that he was spending more than $500,000 on a 3,000-square-foot addition to his retirement home in Hunterdon County. The new wing augmented a 4,500-square foot-home valued at $776,000, records show. Mark Crawford, the New Jersey director of the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, an advocacy and support group, said he was glad to see change in the Archdiocese of Minneapolis and St. Paul, but he expressed concern about Myers in Newark. "If Myers is left here to continue making some of the very poor decisions he has in the past, it's certainly disconcerting," Crawford said. In the short term, at least, Hebda will have dual roles, with responsibilities in two dioceses more than 1,100 miles apart. Myers, in a statement, said both he and Hebda learned of the transfer Saturday and wished his potential successor well. "The faithful of the Archdiocese of Saint Paul-Minneapolis certainly will benefit from his wisdom and caritas," Myers said.
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