US archbishop resigns after sex abuse cover-up charges filed against archdiocese. | Occupy The Vatican

The embattled archbishop of St. Paul and Minneapolis and his deputy resigned Monday after years of pressure, an indication Pope Francis is making good on his promise that no one is above the law when it comes to covering up for clergy who sexually abuse children.

Archbishop John Nienstedt and Auxiliary Bishop Lee Anthony Piche stepped down after Minnesota prosecutors charged their archdiocese with having failed to protect children from unspeakable harm by a pedophile priest who was later convicted of molesting two boys. Separately, the Vatican indicted Jozef Wesolowski, its own former ambassador to the Dominican Republic, on charges of sexually abusing minors in the Caribbean country and possessing child pornography. He will be the highest-ranking Vatican official ever to stand trial for a sex crime.

The developments came days after Francis approved the creation of a new tribunal inside the Vatican to hear cases of bishops accused of failing to protect minors, answering years of criticism that top-ranked churchmen have long been immune to punishment for ignoring or covering up for priests who rape and molest children. It’s not clear if the tribunal — once it becomes functioning — would handle the cases of Nienstedt and Piche, since they are no longer in office.

They quit 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.

US archbishop resigns after sex abuse cover-up charges filed against archdiocese. | Occupy The Vatican