Two Anti-Gay Bishops Resign in Minnesota Over Sexual Abuse Coverups

I would have posted on this story (which I revel in personally) sooner, but the last few days for work have been insane with evening meetings and today an early business breakfast the result of which has been no time to write blog posts.  As many will recall, now former Archbishop John C. Nienstedt of St. Paul and Minneapolis has been among the most virulently anti-gay prelates of the Roman Catholic Church in America.  His lap dog, auxiliary bishop, Lee A. Piché, has all too willingly gone along for the homophobic ride.  Meanwhile, of course, Nienstedt has been up to his ears in cover ups for sexual predator priests and even had an abuse complaint filed against him personally.  Now, both Nienstedt and Piché have tendered their resignations.  One can only hope that they will be named personally for criminal prosecutions.  One can likewise hope that the many other bishops and cardinals who aided and abetted predatory priest will also soon be driven or removed from their positions.  The New York Times looks at this much needed development.   Here are excerpts:

Two bishops in the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis resigned their posts Monday, the second time this spring that American church leaders have stepped aside after complaints over their handling of sexual abuse claims involving priests.

In Minnesota, Archbishop John C. Nienstedt and an auxiliary bishop, Lee A. Piché, announced their departures less than two weeks after prosecutors in St. Paul accused the archdiocese of willfully ignoring warning signs of a pedophile priest. Their resignations followed the April exit of Bishop Robert W. Finn from the Diocese of Kansas City-St. Joseph in Missouri, who had been convicted of a misdemeanor for failing to report a priest who took pornographic pictures of girls.

Though sexual misconduct by individual priests has long drawn headlines in Minnesota and around the world, the latest resignations come amid a push to punish the church leaders who did not intervene.

Under Pope Francis, the Vatican has stepped up efforts to hold bishops accountable for covering up or failing to take action in sexual abuse cases, including the announcement last week of a tribunal to weigh such cases.

The Rev. Federico Lombardi, a Vatican spokesman, did not say Monday whether the two Minnesota bishops had been or would be judged by the tribunal. “It is a valid question,” Father Lombardi said. “I have no information for now.”

John J. Choi, the prosecutor in Ramsey County, Minn., said the resignations would not affect his office’s criminal and civil cases against the archdiocese, which accused church leaders of failing to intervene against a priest despite repeated complaints of misconduct. That priest, Curtis Wehmeyer, has since been defrocked and imprisoned on sexual abuse charges involving boys in his parish.

“While today’s resignation will be viewed as a positive development by many in our community, the pending criminal action and civil petition and the ongoing investigation will continue,” Mr. Choi said in a statement. “As we have said, the goals of our actions are to hold the Archdiocese accountable, seek justice for the victims and our community, and to take appropriate steps to ensure that what we have alleged and intend to prove about the past conduct of church officials will never be repeated.”

In accepting the resignations, the pope appointed the Rev. Bernard A. Hebda, a coadjutor archbishop of Newark, as apostolic administrator to oversee the Minnesota archdiocese. The Vatican also announced on Monday that it would open a trial in July of its former ambassador to the Dominican Republic, Jozef Wesolowski, on charges of sexually abusing boys while he served in the Caribbean and of possessing child pornography.

Jeff Anderson, a lawyer in Minnesota who has represented victims of sexual abuse by clergy, said more top officials needed to be held accountable for their actions, and that criminal charges would be appropriate for some of them.

Mr. Anderson attributed Monday’s developments to the criminal charges against the archdiocese and unflattering disclosures made in recent civil cases. Many of those lawsuits were made possible by legislation that allowed victims to sue the church over abuse that happened years ago, and for which the statute of limitations had expired.

“This is about a culture and system that has been intractable,” Mr. Anderson said. “It needs to continue on a headlong course toward full accountability and full disclosure.”

San Francisco Archbishop: Church Employees Must Not Masturbate

If the caption of this post sounds insane, welcome to the insane and neurotic world of the Catholic Church hierarchy that remains obsessed with all things sexual no matter the reported statements of Pope Francis.  Among the most insane sitting archbishops is San Francisco Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone - yes, the one of DUI fame and purported "father of Proposition 8" - who has issued a pronouncement binding on employees of Catholic institutions and schools within his archdiocese that bans among other things pornography and masturbation.  How exactly Cardileone would enforce this mandate is left to speculation.  The San Francisco Chronicle has details.  Here are highlights:

The conservative Roman Catholic archbishop of San Francisco has developed a new document for Catholic high school faculty and staff clarifying that sex outside of marriage, homosexual relations, the viewing of pornography and masturbation are “gravely evil.” 

Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone’s document applies to faculty and staff at four Catholic high schools: Riordan and Sacred Heart in San Francisco, Marin Catholic in Kentfield and Serra High School in San Mateo. It states that administrators, faculty and staff “affirm and believe” the controversial statements, which will be part of the faculty handbook.

The document goes on to say that marriage is between “one man and one woman,” despite California law allowing same-sex marriages. It also notes that sperm donation, the use of a surrogate and other forms of “artificial reproductive technology” are also gravely evil.

The document notes that while not all staff at the schools are Catholic, they are “required to stand as effective and visible professional participants and proponents of truly Catholic education.” Those who are not Catholic “must refrain” from participating in organizations that “advocate issues or causes contrary to the teachings of the church.”

Anyone as obsessed with all things sexual as is the case with Cordileone must have severe psycho-sexual issues of their own.  Especially since research has shown that the most vociferous homophobes are the ones most "turned on" by gay porn.   Part of me cannot help but wonder how soon until Cordileone is under investigation for sexual abuse like Archbishop John Nienstetd.

   

Twin Cities Archdiocese Files Bankruptcy to Freeze Abuse Lawsuits

In what has become a common pattern for Catholic dioceses around the country, the  St. Paul-Minneapolis Archdiocese has filed bankruptcy to limit likely pay outs to victims of sexual abuse by priests.  In today's Catholic Church - actually, the Church throughout most of its history - money and protecting Church assets is far more important than justice and accountability, especially accountability on the part of high clergy who aided and abetted predatory priests.  The National Catholic Reporter looks at the latest bankruptcy filing.  Note the disingenuous claim that this step would be "fair" to victims of abuse.  Here are highlights:

The St. Paul-Minneapolis archdiocese filed for bankruptcy Friday morning in response to pending lawsuits related to the sexual abuse of minors by clergy.

The Associated Press first reported the development, long expected in a region gripped for more than a year by a sexual abuse scandal that has seen trust deteriorate in the local church. It is the 12th U.S. diocese to file for bankruptcy. 

The filing of Chapter 11 reorganization came in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court of the District of Minnesota. The archdiocese pointedly stated its current situation is “because of the scourge of sexual abuse of minors.”

The archdiocese described bankruptcy as “the fairest way” to resolve existing and future claims of sexual abuse while at the same time continuing its ministries within the local church.

In its court filing, the archdiocese estimated assets between $10 million and $50 million, and liabilities between $50 million and $100 million. It listed its number of creditors between 200 and 1,000, with clients of attorney Jeff Anderson representing 17 of the 28 largest claimants.

In November, the archdiocese released its 2014 fiscal year financial statements that showed a $9 million deficit in operating activities, net assets down $8.9 million and total cash dropping 60 percent, from $9.5 million to $3.8 million.

At a press conference Friday, Anderson said his firm has been working for months to determine the fairest way to compensate victims. Past bankruptcies have seen average payouts from $42,000 (Helena, Mont.), to $750,000 (Wilmington, Del.), to $1.4 million (San Diego), the lawyer said, though it's uncommon for claimants to receive equal shares and numerous variables determine how much is paid and to whom.

Bankruptcy will put on hold cases filed against the archdiocese, including three set for trial Jan. 26. Two involve Anderson, whose firm has filed 16 total claims, in addition to another 112 notices of claims on behalf of alleged abuse victims.

The Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, who in July awarded Anderson an inaugural Pioneer Award, put forth a different view, that bankruptcy allows the archdiocese to change the subject from who was responsible for clergy sexual abuse to how will funds be divided. 

"Chapter 11 enables a bishop to protect what he cares about most: his own reputation, comfort and secrets. It stops depositions, discovery and clergy sex abuse and cover up trials. It's a smart but selfish legal maneuver that will effectively prevent Catholics from getting key information and victims from getting real justice," said Barbara Dorris, SNAP outreach director, in a statement. 

 

It's Time for Pope Francis to Sack Archbishop Nienstedt

Despite his far greater public relation skills than his Emperor Palpatine look a like predecessor and his occasional statements that reflect a realization that the Roman Catholic Church needs to move out of the Middle Ages, Pope Francis to date has failed completely when it comes holding the Church hierarchy accountable for the worldwide sexual abuse of children and youths.  Now, with a documented scandal exploding around Archbishop John Nienstedt, Francis has a perfect opportunity to not only send a strong message that he is serious about addressing the sex abuse scandal, but also to rid the hierarchy of a man who is a pillar of hypocrisy and malfeasance.  An editorial in the New York Times makes the case that Francis needs to sack Nienstedt now.  Here are highlights:

When Pope Francis met earlier this month with victims of rape and sexual abuse by priests, he vowed to hold bishops accountable for covering up the scandal instead of confronting it.

A good place to start is with the St. Paul-Minneapolis archdiocese, where calls are mounting for the resignation of Archbishop John Nienstedt, a warrior against same-sex marriage who, it turns out, is facing accusations that he indulged in improper sexual conduct in the past with priests, seminarians and other men. 

The archbishop has denied the accusations as “entirely false,” saying they date back over 10 years and do not involve minors or criminal conduct. But he felt obliged to hire a law firm to investigate them. 

Meanwhile, his handling of the pedophilia scandal is under fire from all sides. This week, an affidavit from Jennifer Haselberger, the former canon law chancellor for the archdiocese, accused the archbishop and his ranking prelates of systematically ignoring warnings about abusers in a five-year period, while failing to inform civil authorities of possible criminal acts. 

In the affidavit made public Tuesday, Ms. Haselberger, who resigned last year, said every time she tried to warn the archbishop and his deputies about abusive priests who were still serving in parishes, her “concerns were ignored, dismissed, or the emphasis was shifted to what was best for the priest involved.” 

The situation was only worsened by another deposition from a former vicar general of the archdiocese, the Rev. Peter Laird, who in conferences last year with Archbishop Nienstedt twice suggested that the archbishop consider resigning. Concerned Catholic parishioners, individual clergy members and university professors have also called for the archbishop to resign as the best solution. Instead, the archdiocese has made a mockery of accountability. 

Hundreds of American priests have been forced from service because of pedophile crimes, but the parallel need for accountability among those who covered up the scandal has been shamefully avoided. In promising closer attention to this issue, the pope should not overlook the church’s leadership disarray in the Twin Cities.

Calls for Resignation Mount for Minnesota Archbishop

One of the things this blog tries to expose is hypocrisy be it in the political or religious realm.  In the religious realm, perhaps no situation involves more hypocrisy than that swirling around John C. Nienstedt, Roman Catholic archbishop of St. Paul and Minneapolis, who has been among the most anti-gay prelates in America.  Now, Nienstedt is being investigated for allegations that he himself engaged in a series of same sex relationships, many forced on others by the abuse of Nienstedt's power and position in the Church.  Nienstedt underscores the concept of "one doth protest too much" that seems to typically apply to the loudest homophobes (personally, I think Ken Cuccinelli and Rick Santorum are cut from the same cloth as Nienstedt).  A piece in the New York Times gives some history of the Nienstedt scandal and looks at the mounting demands that he resign.  Here are highlights:

Just two years ago, the Roman Catholic archbishop of St. Paul and Minneapolis was making headlines as a leader in the battle against same-sex marriage. But for the last year and a half, the archbishop, John C. Nienstedt, has been battling to hold onto his post in the face of a series of scandals, which further deepened on Tuesday with the filing of an explosive affidavit by the former chancellor of the archdiocese. 

The troubles started in May 2013 when the accountant for the archdiocese pleaded guilty to stealing more than $670,000 in church funds, and intensified when the chancellor, Jennifer M. Haselberger, quit and went public that autumn with allegations that the archbishop and his inner circle had covered up the actions of pedophile priests in recent years and funneled special payments to them.

This month brought new revelations, first reported by the Catholic journal Commonweal, that Archbishop Nienstedt had earlier this year commissioned an investigation of himself in response to allegations that he had a series of inappropriate sexual relationships with men, including seminarians and priests he supervised, as he moved up the church’s hierarchy in Detroit and Minnesota. 

In the latest challenge, on Tuesday, the archdiocese was surprised by a 107-page affidavit from Ms. Haselberger in which she rebuts claims made by the archbishop and his deputies in depositions taken in a sexual abuse lawsuit.

Ms. Haselberger, a canon lawyer who has worked in other dioceses, said that in her more than five years as chancellor for canonical affairs in St. Paul and Minneapolis, Archbishop Nienstedt and his top deputies disregarded warnings about priests accused of inappropriate contact with children or with vulnerable female parishioners; declined to report suspected abusers to civil authorities; failed to monitor sex offenders in the clergy; and in various ways violated the Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People written by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops.

She said in the affidavit that “every time” she tried to warn the archbishop and his deputies about abusive priests still serving in ministry “my concerns were ignored, dismissed, or the emphasis was shifted to what was best for the priest involved.”  

The accusations about mishandling abuse cases have drawn in not only Archbishop Nienstedt, but also two predecessors, including the retired archbishop Harry Flynn, who had a reputation as a healer and helped craft the American bishops’ policies on abuse. It has also prompted the archdiocese and neighboring dioceses to release the names of priests who were credibly accused of abuse, many of which were never previously disclosed. 

As for the accusations about his own same sex relationships, Nienstedt's main defense has been that none of the males involved were minors.  The man epitomizes the term hypocrite.

 

Minnesota Archbishop John Nienstedt - Latest in A Long Line of Self-Loathing Closeted Gays?

Be it politicians of church leaders regardless of their denomination, experience has demonstrated that the more shrill and ant-gay a politician or cleric is, the more likely that they are a self-loathing closet cases.  In the political realm we have had local Virginia Congressman Ed Shrock, Senator  Larry Craig  while among the clergy we have seen everything from Ted Haggard who used male prostitutes to anti-gay Catholic clergy who ultimately are exposed as closeted gays (or more often pedophiles) who prey on those under their tutelage or those powerless to rebuff their sexual advances.  In the latter category, as noted before on this blog, is Minnesota Archbishop John Nienstedt who, with perhaps a few exceptions, is among the most outspoken anti-gay members of the Catholic Church hierarchy.  Personally, I would love to see the allegations prove true in which event Pope Francis should strip Nienstedt of ALL of his priestly titles and toss him from the clergy, revoking his retirement in the process.  If the allegations prove true, Niensddet needs to be left penniless and devoid of any continuing Church derived support.   The Daily Beast looks at the scandal swirling around Nienstedt.    Here are highlights:

There may be something to be said for the theory that anger and hate stem from an individual recognizing in others a quality that they themselves possess, but don’t want to. One of the Catholic church's most vocal opponents of homosexuality is currently under investigation after allegations that he had multiple sexual relationships with priests, seminarians, and other men.

Minnesota archbishop John Nienstedt, 67, has spent years advocating against gay marriage. In 2013, speaking to a starry-eyed crowd at the Napa Institute, he said: “Today, many evil forces have set their sights on the dissolution of marriage and the debasing of family life. Sodomy, abortion, contraception, pornography, the redefinition of marriage, and the denial of objective truth are just some of the forces threatening the stability of our civilization.”

Nienstedt—he of the dramatic side-part and deer-in-the-headlights gaze—warned that “Satan knows all too well the value that the family contributes to the fabric of the good, solid society, as well as the future of God's work on earth.”

Beyond allegedly engaging in sexual behavior completely at odds with everything he purports to believe, Nienstedt is said to have punished those who turned him down. Commonweal, the Catholic magazine that broke the story of the investigation, quoted Jennifer Haselberger, a former top canon lawyer for the archbishop, saying he “also stands accused of retaliating against those who refused his advances or otherwise questioned his conduct.”

Nienstedt was not only alleged to have failed to report charges of criminal sexual behavior, but also to have taken steps to to hide the existence of such allegations altogether. Twin Cities law enforcement accused Nienstedt of failing to cooperate with investigators. The controversy caused Nienstedt’s top aide, Rev. Peter Laird, to quit after his suggestion that the archbishop resign was dismissed.

Karma Bites BacK: Homophobic Archbishop John Nienstedt Investigated for Same Sex Relationships

Archbishop Nienstedt - Self-Loathing Closet Case?

I have often said that the more loudly one is homophobic and dripping in anti-gay animus, the more likely it is that we will hear that the extreme homophobe has been outed or implicated in the types of same sex relationships they purport to decry.   Here in America, few have surpassed  Twin Cities Archbishop John Nienstedt in anti-gay hysteria and the the condemnation of self-accepting gays and their same sex relationships.  Now, it turns out that Nienstedt is under investigation by his own diocese for his own possible same sex relationships.  The irony is most sweet and I for one hope that Nienstedt ends up being exposed for exactly what he condemns in others.  The hypocrisy of the man would be shown to be complete.  The National Catholic Reporter has details.  Note how Nienstedt defends himself by saying that the allegations did not involve minors.  Isn't that just special! Here are highlights:

A Catholic archbishop in Minnesota who has been one of the hierarchy's most vocal opponents of gay rights is himself the target of an investigation into allegations that he had a series of sexual relationships with priests, seminarians and other men, it was reported Tuesday.

The investigation of Twin Cities Archbishop John Nienstedt is being conducted by a prominent Minneapolis law firm hired by the archdiocese after church officials received numerous allegations against Nienstedt.

The archdiocese confirmed the investigation, which was first reported by Commonweal, a Catholic magazine based in New York.

"The allegations do not involve minors or lay members of the faithful, and they do not implicate any kind of illegal or criminal behavior," Nienstedt said. "The allegations involve events alleged to have occurred at least decade ago, before I began serving in the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis."

Commonweal's story cites Jennifer Haselberger, former top canon lawyer for Nienstedt, as saying she learned of the investigation when she was questioned by attorneys from the firm that the archdiocese hired, Greene Espel.

Nienstedt came under fire last September for allegedly failing to report or discipline clergy suspected of molesting children after Haselberger, who had resigned her post in frustration in April 2013, began leaking internal church documents that appeared to detail efforts to shield abusers.

One of Nienstedt's top aides, the Rev. Peter Laird, quit, and it later emerged that Laird did so after Nienstedt rebuffed his suggestion that the archbishop should resign.

But late last year, the archdiocese began receiving an unrelated series of allegations that Nienstedt – who was ordained a priest in Detroit before becoming a bishop in Minnesota – had a string of improper relationships with men or had made unwanted advances on others.

[I]nvestigators have received about ten sworn statements alleging sexual impropriety on the part of the archbishop dating from his time as a priest in the Archdiocese of Detroit, as Bishop of New Ulm, and while coadjutor/archbishop of St. Paul and Minneapolis," Haselberger told Commonweal.

She added that "he also stands accused of retaliating against those who refused his advances or otherwise questioned his conduct."

 Nienstedt has earned a reputation as a leading culture warrior in the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops and his signature issue is homosexuality. . . . Homosexuality, he has written, "must be understood in the context of other human disorders: envy, malice, greed, etc."

I hope the allegations prove true.  About the only thing that could make the situation more delicious would be to learn that among those with whom Nienstedt had relationships are Ken Cuccinelli and Rick Santorum, two other tortured, self-loathing closeted gays. 

Anti-Gay Catholic Bishop's Damning Testimony Released

Among the members of the Roman Catholic hierarchy in America there are few high clerics than bear more open hate and animus towards gays than Archbishop John Nienstedt (pictured above) of the archdiocese of  Minneapolis and St. Paul.  Nienstedt has disseminated foul anti-gay lies and gone above and beyond in his efforts to block marriage equality in Minnesota.  He even went so far as to claim that Satan is the source of same sex marriage.  Thankfully, his efforts failed and now, Nienstedt finds himself exposed as a liar and major player in obstruction of justice in the context of sexual abuse of children and youths by Catholic clergy.  Based on Nienstedt's own testimony, Pope Francis ought to strip Nienstedt of his title and cast him out into the streets.  The New Civil Rights Movement looks at Nienstedt's own damning testimony:

After much stonewalling, the archbishop of Minneapolis and St. Paul finally testified in a four-hour court deposition on April 2 about his role in managing child sex abuse cases, and his comments can only be described as damning.

Archbishop John Nienstedt claimed to have no knowledge that known child sexual abusers were working under his nose during his current six-year tenure, claimed to have delegated all duties surrounding allegations and follow-up of child sex abuse cases, admitted to actively hiding information of priests suspected of child abuse, and even admitted that his diocese had never handed over to law enforcement authorities a single complete case file.

One of the plaintiffs’ attorneys is accusing Nienstedt of lying under oath. “We have a serious pattern of deceit and deception by this archbishop and his predecessors,” Jeff Anderson says, according to Minnesota Public Radio.

Throughout the contentious questioning, Nienstedt portrayed himself as a leader who relied on others to handle the clergy sexual abuse crisis. He professed little knowledge of the scandal within his archdiocese and said he assumed it was safe for children. Nienstedt said it “didn’t occur” to him to ask for a list of abusive priests when he arrived in 2007 and that he didn’t review any clergy files.

Archbishop Nienstedt has been one of the loudest anti-gay voices in the Catholic Church in America. He has claimed “Satan” is the source of same-sex marriage, he spammed hundreds of thousands of Minnesota residents with an anti-gay marriage DVD sent through the U.S. mail, and yet had the audacity to claim his attempts to ban same-sex marriage were “not intended to be hurtful.”   

Make no mistake.  If Pope Francis fails to take action against Nienstedt it will speak volumes about the falsity of his claims to wanting to end the sex abuse scandal and hold high clerics responsible.