MINNESOTA
National Catholic Reporter
Brian Roewe | Jul. 30, 2014
Apologizing “for the distractions I have inadvertently caused,” St. Paul-Minneapolis Archbishop John Nienstedt expressed Wednesday his resolve to lead his archdiocese through its current clergy abuse scandal — with no intention of resigning.
“A bishop’s role is more like that of a father of a family than that of a CEO. I am bound to continue in my office as long as the Holy Father has appointed me here,” he said in a column in the archdiocesan Catholic Spirit newspaper, echoing comments he made to NCR in early July.
“I have acknowledged my responsibility in the current crisis we face, and I also take responsibility for leading our archdiocese to a new and better day,” Nienstedt said before quoting 2 Chronicles where the spirit of the Lord tells King Jehoshaphat and his army, “Stop being afraid, and stop being discouraged because of this vast invasion force, because the battle doesn’t belong to you, but to God.”
As for the calls he resign — most recently from the Minneapolis Star-Tribune editorial board — the archbishop said he has heard them all and has heard similar chants since his arrival in the Twin Cities in 2007. He has read letters labeling him “a hypocrite, a domineering boss and a liar,” as well as “a courageous moral leader and a true shepherd.”
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