Detroit Free Press Article on Retired Archbishop Is Full of Bloopers
The Detroit Free Press is running a story this morning about retired Archbishop John Nienstedt which is peppered with misunderstandings and factual inaccuracies. The article by Jennifer Bowman apparently originated with the Battle Creek Enquirer; but I would insist that the Free Press, whose reporters saw firsthand Archbishop Niendstedt’s kindly leadership when he was an auxiliary bishop in Detroit, has a responsibility to vet the articles which appear on its pages.
For starters, the headline reads “Controversial Ex-Priest Now Serving in Battle Creek.”
Please allow me to clarify: Archbishop Nienstedt is not an “ex-priest.” He is a “retired archbishop.” His resignation from office does not erase his standing in the Roman Catholic Church and he is entitled to the respect due an archbishop.
For that matter, in all the world there is no such thing as a Roman Catholic “ex-priest.” The Church teaches that the Sacrament of Ordination confers upon the soul of the recipient an indelible mark. There are, to be accurate, “laicized priests”–priests who, due to misconduct or a perceived pull away from their vocation or some other reason, have been returned to the lay state. These non-active priests may not present themselves as priests, may not wear the Roman collar, may not celebrate Mass or other sacraments. They do, however, remain Catholic; they may receive Holy Communion and may participate in parish life, as can any lay person.
Archbishop Nienstedt, for the record, has not been “laicized” (returned to the lay state). His case has been investigated by the Church, and it was determined that he acted without fault. His resignation from his position in the Twin Cities was, as he explained to parishioners at Battle Creek’s St. Philip Catholic Church, where he istemporarily assisting during the absence of the pastor, “in order for the local church to have a new beginning as they come out of bankruptcy” and not because of something he had done wrong.
Bowman’s lack of Catholic sensibility returns when she says that Archbishop Nienstedt “led” the Mass. Priests don’t “lead” the Mass, Jennifer. They “celebrate” Mass. They “say” Mass.
But the real problem I found in the article was that Jennifer Bowman had relied for her non-story not on the files of the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis, from which Archbishop Nienstedt had resigned; and not on the Saint Paul Police Department, where an investigation exonerated him of any wrongdoing; and not on the Catholic League for Religious and Civil Rights, which actually thanked Archbishop Nienstedt for his excellent handling of the abuse crisis in his archdiocese.
No, Bowman relied on information provided by SNAP, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests). That organization, I believe, played a vital role early in the clergy abuse crisis in bringing together victims and challenging the Church. However, they have long since eroded into a shrill Church-shaming, money-seeking organization. They must continue to stoke the embers of victimhood and blame, because their very existence depends upon elongating the perennial victimhood of their members.
She also accepted uncritically the reports of liberal media outlets such as Minnesota Public Radio.
Read it all: http://kathyschiffer.com/politics-culture/detroit-free-press-article-on-retired-archbishop-is-full-of-bloopers/
For starters, the headline reads “Controversial Ex-Priest Now Serving in Battle Creek.”
Please allow me to clarify: Archbishop Nienstedt is not an “ex-priest.” He is a “retired archbishop.” His resignation from office does not erase his standing in the Roman Catholic Church and he is entitled to the respect due an archbishop.
For that matter, in all the world there is no such thing as a Roman Catholic “ex-priest.” The Church teaches that the Sacrament of Ordination confers upon the soul of the recipient an indelible mark. There are, to be accurate, “laicized priests”–priests who, due to misconduct or a perceived pull away from their vocation or some other reason, have been returned to the lay state. These non-active priests may not present themselves as priests, may not wear the Roman collar, may not celebrate Mass or other sacraments. They do, however, remain Catholic; they may receive Holy Communion and may participate in parish life, as can any lay person.
Archbishop Nienstedt, for the record, has not been “laicized” (returned to the lay state). His case has been investigated by the Church, and it was determined that he acted without fault. His resignation from his position in the Twin Cities was, as he explained to parishioners at Battle Creek’s St. Philip Catholic Church, where he istemporarily assisting during the absence of the pastor, “in order for the local church to have a new beginning as they come out of bankruptcy” and not because of something he had done wrong.
Bowman’s lack of Catholic sensibility returns when she says that Archbishop Nienstedt “led” the Mass. Priests don’t “lead” the Mass, Jennifer. They “celebrate” Mass. They “say” Mass.
But the real problem I found in the article was that Jennifer Bowman had relied for her non-story not on the files of the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis, from which Archbishop Nienstedt had resigned; and not on the Saint Paul Police Department, where an investigation exonerated him of any wrongdoing; and not on the Catholic League for Religious and Civil Rights, which actually thanked Archbishop Nienstedt for his excellent handling of the abuse crisis in his archdiocese.
According to reports from The Remnant, this is how Archbishop Nienstedt was portrayed in Minneapolis press because of his positions on homosexual marriage
She also accepted uncritically the reports of liberal media outlets such as Minnesota Public Radio.
Read it all: http://kathyschiffer.com/politics-culture/detroit-free-press-article-on-retired-archbishop-is-full-of-bloopers/
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