[Alex Murphy]

Lay Catholics hold no sway in the selection or termination of an archbishop, with those decisions made solely by the Vatican. But it is rare for even a handful of influential members of the local Catholic community to step out so publicly against an archbishop. They join a handful of local priests who have publicly called for new leadership....[Archbishop John Nienstedt], however, repeated his earlier denial of rumors that he had asked the Vatican to replace him at the head of the archdiocese. “I am responsible for leading this local Church and accountable for ensuring we have safe environments where the Gospel of Jesus Christ can flourish,” he wrote Wednesday.

[CedarDave]

It would be nice to know the background without clicking on the link to the Red Star-Tribune to figure out what this is all about:

The archdiocese and Nienstedt have drawn intense criticism over the handling of allegations of sexual misconduct by priests and the archbishop said last month he is refocusing plans for a $160 million capital campaign. A feasibility study had been done to gauge support for fundraising the archdiocese described as essential.

On Wednesday he again called attention to steps he said he had ordered to protect children and vulnerable adults, pledging to “take action that will truly address these very troubling concerns.”

[Gumdrop]

This is all about politics and the liberals in the Catholic intelligentia (Universities of St. Thomas and St. John’s, etc.) do not like Bishop Nienstedt because he is considered to be faithful to the Gospel and the Magisterium of the RC Church.

The two previous Archbishops (Roach and Flynn) were reluctant to ever call out pro-abortion politicians, etc. They were the ones responsible for the previous scandals and the cover-up of abusive behavior among the clergy, not Nienstedt. Archbishop Nienstedt has been more forceful in stating the true Catholic position on theological issues relating to personal conduct. Liberals dislike him, just like they did not like PJPII and PBXVI.

They hope to drive Nienstedt out of the diocese. Pray for Archbishop John Nienstedt.