Archbishop Nienstedt responds, not resigning

“Embattled” Saint Paul-Minneapolis Archbishop Nienstedt has issued a statement declaring in spite of all the accusations directed against him, he will not resign.  While there may have been some failures of prudential judgment – or maybe not – I have not seen any real evidence of a concerted effort to keep abusive priests in circulation or to expose minors to dangerous predators. Archbishop seems to admit to some minor failures of oversight, but completely rejects all the false allegations directed at himself, and also notes that he has been faced with such allegations every since he arrived in St. Paul-Minneapolis 7 years ago.  He is a (relatively, by today’s standards) orthodox prelate who was sent to help clean up a radically heterodox diocese bereft of real leadership for decades and rapidly spinning out of control. He has had many enemies since the get-go and I have been just about fully convinced that the allegations about any personal moral failings on his part have been completely false.

Having said that, I do sense a bit of surrender in this statement and that is unfortunate.

From a statement released in the diocesan newspaper and website, some of the key points from Archbishop Nienstedt’s self-defense (thanks to reader DM):

Here in the archdiocese, Catholics have witnessed many troubling media reports, and many of us have had difficult conversations with friends and family about what it means to be Catholic and why we still profess the faith. I, myself, have been the subject of two investigations, which have brought with them more public scrutiny. I have received messages calling me a hypocrite, a domineering boss and a liar. Others have written that I am a courageous moral leader and a true shepherd. I have read them all. I am grateful for everyone who has taken the time to write, regardless of how they feel, as most believe they are acting in the best interests of the Church.  [A very charitable interpretation.  I am much less inclined to interpret good motives to some of the loudest and most persistent critics of Archbishop Nienstedt, most of whom happen to be entrenched leftist/modernist types]

In the end, it comes down to this: 18 years ago, Pope John Paul II chose me to serve the Church as a bishop, an authentic successor of the apostles. A bishop’s role is more like that of a father of a family than that of a CEO. [Far too many in the Church, including many bishops themselves, have a very disordered understanding of just what the bishop’s role is.  It is not to be a CEO.  It is to be a shepherd of souls, set apart by God for a divinely ordained apostolate of the most vital importance] I am bound to continue in my office as long as the Holy Father has appointed me here. 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……

……I have heard calls for my resignation since I arrived in this wonderful archdiocese seven years ago. [I think that really says it all.  +Nienstedt was never given a chance by many, he was opposed for who he was, not anything he did.  And his opponents are those who are responsible for the implosion of the Faith in that Archdiocese and many others around the world, directly or indirectly]I will continue to listen to those who express concerns about my leadership, but I will also continue serving as I have been called to do. I am devoted to serving this local Church, and I will continue to do so and to apply these hard lessons that I have learned over the past months. While it may be difficult to believe, the suffering we have endured is bearing much fruit in reform of practices and correction of decisions that were made in the past, either by me or my predecessors…….

+Nienstedt then goes on to list several “reforms” he is implementing to try to respond to some of the criticisms.  I am a little leery of giving these sons of female dogs even an inch, but I’m a combative type.  Nienstedt does close with some comments that I hope do not indicate he is caving in to at least some of the pressure:

I have been a priest for more than 40 years. I have served as a pastor, a teacher, and a seminary rector. I have no doubt that my administrative and personal style, with its strong point of view, may have offended some. I apologize to those I have hurt. The last year has helped me realize I need to change my administrative style, soften my words, and get out from behind the desk to spend more time with the faithful. 

That could certainly be interpreted as a surrender.  His “strong point of view” is simply that of a relatively orthodox Catholic shepherd.  He has “hurt” primarily the heterodox in the Archdiocese.  Softening words……I think you get the picture.  This almost seems an offer of a truce – you stop trying to destroy my episcopate, and I won’t oppose your heterodoxy nearly as much.

That is not the most charitable interpretation, of course, but years of experience and perhaps my tendency towards realpolitik drive me towards that conclusion.  I pray I am wrong.  +Nienstedt’s enemies have pretty clearly concluded they have a really effective club with which to beat him in this constant airing of allegations, no matter how weak or ill-founded, in the press.  The very liberal press up there would love to see him gone.  So perhaps Nienstedt sees some move towards conciliation as vital.  I pray that is not the case.

The thing is, any move towards conciliation could be perceived as weakness and backfire in the form of his opponents now stepping up their efforts.  I think the last 50 years have proven conclusively that progressives/modernists are not interested in getting along with orthodox/conservative elements, they want us gone, crushed, annihilated.

Or maybe that verbiage was just conciliatory feel-good boilerplate. But I think we have to take the man at his word.

I guess we shall see what develops.