Sunday, June 21, 2015

Further reflection on the resignation of Archbishop Nienstedt



A reader sent me a copy of the indictment filed against the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis about a week ago. I took a few days and read it.

A great deal of the misfeasance and malfeasance of enabling pedophiles was done by Bishop Harry Flynn. I found that interesting because I have yet to hear his name mentioned by the enemies of the Catholic Catechism. It further confirmed to me that so long as one encourages sleeping around, nobody will hold them accountable for ordaining and enabling pedophiles.

That being said, the conduct of many others is outrageous.

This case is a magnificent example of farcical dog and pony show of VIRTUS. How they were able to spin the focus and appoint themselves as protectors of children is positively ludicrous. I encourage you to read the indictment.

It must be kept in mind that this is the DA's case without the opportunity to present a defense, but the facts don't leave a lot of room to defend Archbishop Nienstedt's appointment and promotion of a priest with plenty of evidence in his personnel folder that convict him of being a reckless endangerment to children.

What I found surprising was the cavalier attitude of Chancery administrators and bishops to the sexual antics and criminal conduct of priests, which they caricatured as risk-taking. It explains the reasons why numerous priests live with their male lovers for decades without any actions taken by their supervisors. It explains the decades of patronizing phone calls and letters to whistleblowers. To them, the sexual debauchery of the men they ordain is nothing more than having an employee on their hands who is chasing cheap thrills.

A serious problem continues to exist in the hierarchy of our Church. The absolute unwillingness to acknowledge the real problem is exasperating.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

I don't think there's any love lost for Abp Flynn in the abuse survivor groups or among journalists following the abuse scandals. Rather, Flynn no longer had any power to continue to obstruct, as he was no longer in office (indeed, a coadjutor was appointed before he was retired). Abp Nienstedt appears to have used his surface orthodoxy as a cover for his obstruction. He's not the first, and he won't be the last. Don't be fooled that, once you encounter a bishop who appears to be solid and sound in his teaching and discipline; watch for red flags of an egoistic approach to the world (this is manifest in many ways) - charm can also be a red flag, though I don't think charm was Abp Nienstedt's particular talent.