US Archbishop Resigns after Archdiocese Charged with Coverup

Ex-Archbishop has a Clear Conscience

The archbishop of St. Paul, Minnesota, and a deputy bishop have resigned after prosecutors there charged the archdiocese with having failed to protect children from unspeakable harm from a pedophile priest.

The Vatican said Monday that Pope Francis accepted the resignations of Archbishop John Nienstedt and Auxiliary Bishop Lee Anthony Piche.

They resigned under the code of canon law that allows bishops to resign before they retire because of illness or some other “grave” reason that makes them unfit for office.

Earlier this month, prosecutors charged the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis as a corporation of having “turned a blind eye” to repeated reports of inappropriate behavior by a priest who was later convicted of molesting two boys.

No individual was named in the indictment.

Archbishop John Nienstedt says he’s leaving the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis “with a clear conscience.”

Nienstedt said in a statement Monday that his leadership has drawn attention away from the good works of the church. He asks for prayers for his successor.

In a separate statement, Bishop Piche says he is stepping down because his continued service prevents healing and hope for the people he has served.

Rev. Bernard Hebda, the Coadjutor Archbishop of Newark, New Jersey, has been named temporary administrator of the archdiocese.