St. Thomas professors urge Nienstedt to repair damage of sex abuse

Roman Catholic Archbishop John Nienstedt has agreed to meet with University of St. Thomas professors after they sent him an e-mail over the weekend urging immediate action to repair damage caused by child sex abuse investigations.

A dozen tenured professors in the university's theology department signed off on the e-mail in reaction to a lawsuit that alleges clergy sexual abuse within the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis and decades of coverup carried out by high-ranking church officials.

The Ramsey County attorney's office is also reviewing evidence for possible criminal charges in 10 cases of alleged sex abuse of minors by priests.

"The Archdiocese is in a spiritual crisis as well as a legal crisis," read the professors' letter, dated Sept. 12.

The professors urged Nienstedt to begin reconciliation with parishioners, to meet directly with parishioners and to increase the presence of lay people in the archdiocese to avoid an insular culture.

"This is having a dramatic impact on the people in the pews," Bernard Brady, chair of the Theology Department, said Monday of the sex abuse investigations. "We all know people who have … left the church."

Nienstedt responded to the professors Monday by writing that he has taken steps toward healing. He also offered to meet with them.

Nienstedt said in his letter that healing masses are being organized. He said he has met with survivors of clergy sexual abuse and community leaders and was meeting with local parishes on weekends. He also said that the archdiocese employs lay people as advisers.

Brady said he wants to see a large-scale "reconciliation project" to address many Catholics' disenchantment.

"This crisis has been going on so long that a lot of people are jaded," Brady said. "What has bothered the people so much … is the level of involvement of [leaders] in the archdiocese."

The civil case that has produced much of the evidence alleging a church coverup is scheduled for trial in November and early next year.

On Monday, Ramsey County District Judge John Van de North ordered that the trial take place in two parts: The first phase will start Nov. 3 and center on the suit's public nuisance claim, which alleges that church officials created a public safety threat by reassigning known child sex offenders to other parishes.

Chao Xiong • 612-270-4708