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An archbishop and an auxiliary bishop of the same US archdiocese have both resigned after the archdiocese became mired in sex abuse controversy.
The resignations of Archbishop John Nienstedt, 68, and Bishop Lee Piché, 57, of St Paul-Minneapolis were announced by the Vatican on Monday.
The move came 10 days after prosecutors brought criminal charges against the archdiocese “for its failure to protect children”.
These involve the way the archdiocese mishandled complaints against now-former priest Curtis Wehmeyer, who was ultimately convicted for his crimes.
In January, the archdiocese filed for bankruptcy, citing specifically “the scourge of sexual abuse of minors”.
In 2013, then-archdiocesan chancellor of canonical affairs Jennifer Haselberger resigned and went public, saying she had discovered unreported allegations of clergy sexual abuse and lapses in investigations.
A commission set up by Archbishop Nienstedt revealed “serious shortcomings”, including “a flawed organisational structure with little oversight and accountability” that employed outdated reporting policies and restricted crucial information from relevant decision-makers and boards.
Archbishop Nienstedt himself stood down from ministry in December, 2013, after an allegation of inappropriate touching of a minor.
An investigation led by a prosecutor could find no evidence, so the archbishop returned to ministry in March, 2014.
Archbishop Nienstedt came under investigation in July, 2014 for allegations that he had inappropriate sexual conduct with adult priests, seminarians and other men.
He denied the allegations.
Bishop Piché oversaw an investigation, but the status of this is unclear.
After resigning from the post he held since 2008, Archbishop Nienstedt said he did so “in order to give the archdiocese a new beginning amidst the many challenges we face”.
“My leadership has unfortunately drawn attention away from the good works of [Jesus’] Church and those who perform them.”
But he said his conscience is clear with regard to the protection of minors and vulnerable adults from sexual abuse.
Bishop Piché said the people of the archdiocese “need healing and hope. I was getting in the way of that, and so I had to resign”.
Sources
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News category: World.
