The disgraced former head of the Twin Cities Archdiocese, John Nienstedt, still saying Masses in California's wine country
For immediate release, Monday, August 13, 2018
Statement by: Tim Lennon, President, Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, SNAP
Archbishop John Nienstedt resigned in shame as Minnesota's top Catholic churchman in June 2015. The archbishop left his archdiocese shortly after it was charged criminally with “failure to protect children." Archbishop Nienstedt’s successor publicly admitted that this was indeed the case.
The archbishop also stands accused of sexually violating priests and young seminarians. However, the investigation into those charges was derailed by the papal nuncio in 2014.
https://www.mprnews.org/story/2015/06/19/nienstedt
Despite this, Archbishop Nienstedt is comfortably ensconced at a Napa Valley church institute and practices as a featured religious celebrant. The archbishop will be officiating at five of the masses at the Napa Institute in California’s Eighth Annual Conference, held July 11-15, 2018. While the founder of the institute decried the recent scandal over Cardinal Theodore McCarrick, he appears to have no problem with the former Twin Cities archbishop.
However, every time a cleric who concealed child sex crimes plays a public role or gets a public recognition and honor, two signals are sent. To abuse victims, the signal is "Your pain doesn't matter." And to other clerics the signal is "No matter how much suffering you cause, you'll always be a treasured member of our club with all of its perks." Both are very hurtful, to the vulnerable, to the already hurt, and to the church itself.
For the sake of wounded victims and Catholics, and to deter similar cover ups across the globe, top church officials cannot remain silent. Those accused of sexually abusing a child or an adult, or accused of covering up abuse, must not be able to enjoy all the respect and privileges of being a priest. Ignoring Archbishop Nienstedt's behavior essentially condones it, and encourages other church staff to turn a blind eye to corruption, knowing that, if caught, they'll experience few real penalties.
We call on Catholic officials to denounce and stop this hurtful injustice which rubs more salt into the already deep and still fresh wounds of hundreds of suffering survivors and tens of thousands of betrayed Catholics in Minnesota and beyond.
We call on the current head of the Twin Cities archdiocese, Archbishop Bernard Hebda, to publicly speak out against this deplorable situation.
We call on all Twin Cities church employees, particularly priests, to do likewise.
We call on Houston's Cardinal Daniel DiNardo, head of America's bishops, join in the denouncement.
Last, but not least, we call on Pope Francis to force Archbishop Nienstedt to stop saying public masses and to defrock him.
(SNAP, the Survivors Network, is the world's oldest and largest support group for victims of sexual abuse in institutional settings. SNAP was founded in 1988 and has network of more than 25,000 survivors and supporters. Our website is SNAPnetwork.org)
Contact - Tim Lennon (415-312-5820, [email protected]); Melanie Jula Sakoda (925-708-6175, [email protected]), Becky Ianni (703-801-6044, [email protected])
Winter Appeal 2023
To our friends,
2023 has been a long year with many ups and downs for us all. As we close out the year, we at SNAP hope that you are feeling like you are on your way to being healthy, fulfilled, and happy. This past year has brought both successes and challenges. Thanks to the support you have shown in the past, we’ve been able to celebrate the good days and weather the stormy ones. Now, we are once again asking for your support as we work to support survivors new and old as we ‘Move SNAP Forward.’
At SNAP we are proud to have hosted a very well-attended conference in August 2023. This event allowed us to gather friends, survivors, advocates, and allies for a weekend of camaraderie and connection. We were so happy to be able to welcome many first-time attendees to gather in person and are already looking forward to the next conference.
To strengthen our movement for justice, healing, and prevention, SNAP will be expanding our peer support and providing more volunteer opportunities in the coming year. Through this great work, we are ensuring survivor voices are represented as we work for significant change that will benefit children and survivors.
Right now, survivors worldwide are getting the help they need from SNAP, and more and more reach out to us daily, but we need your help to keep those programs going and get our volunteers the training they need to thrive.
Your tax-deductible gift to SNAP can help offset the cost of our important mission. If you are not in a position to contribute, you can still support us by sharing this letter with those who can. As we continue to fight for survivors across the globe, your donation or sharing the great work SNAP does will help us continue our work to protect the vulnerable, heal the wounded, and prevent abuse.
Your donation ensures SNAP will be there for those who need us more than ever!
Warmly,
Michael W. McDonnell, C.P.S.
Interim Executive Director