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

Anti-Gay Archbishop: 'I'm Not Against Gays,' But 'Homosexuals Need To Lead Chaste Lives' (Video) - The New Civil Rights Movement

Archbishop John Nienstedt, the man best-known for spamming 400,000 Minnesota households with unrequested anti-gay DVDs in a failed attempt to prevent same-sex couples from being allowed to marry, is at the center of calls from within and without his own church to resign.

The 67-year old Roman Catholic prelate was accused of inappropriate touching of a young boy's behind. He was cleared of those charges, but shortly thereafter was accused of inappropriate sexual contact with men. He has, and in the video below, denies he has ever had "homosexual relationships," and denies he is gay or homosexual.

But Archbishop Nienstedt is also at the center of controversy for ignoring or covering up child sex abuse charges against priests he has overseen.

In a fascinating 30-minute unedited video made by FOX 9 News/KMSP-TV anchor Tom Lyden in Minneapolis-St. Paul, Nienstedt addresses all of these issues, and more.

Anti-Gay Archbishop: 'I'm Not Against Gays,' But 'Homosexuals Need To Lead Chaste Lives' (Video) - The New Civil Rights Movement

ADDENDUM::Gay Sex Investigation Of Archbishop Is Payback For His Condemning Brokeback Mountain: Donohue - The New Civil Rights Movement

The nation was shocked when Minneapolis/St. Paul Archbishop John Nienstedt was accused of having inappropriate contact with a young boy. Nienstedt was cleared of those charges but soon after it was revealed that the 67-year old virulently anti-gay Roman Catholic leader was being investigated -- by his own parish -- for sexual relations with men.

Nienstedt has repeatedly denied the charges, though he was quick to respond to them, touting that the "allegations do not involve minors or lay members of the faithful, and they do not implicate any kind of illegal or criminal behavior."

Now, the Catholic League's Bill Donohue is riding to Nienstedt's rescue -- which he desperately needs in light of all the calls for his resignation -- but with lies.

"It's all about homosexuality," Donohue insists in a press release yesterday. "Ever since Archbishop Nienstedt criticized the pro-gay film, 'Brokeback Mountain,' he has been targeted by homosexual activists all over the nation. So it is hardly surprising to read a story on him in today's New York Times that cites his take on the movie. Had he liked it, and had he been silent on the subject of gay marriage, no one would be calling for his resignation."

Donohue did not point to any particular "homosexual activist," and in fact, all the calls for Nienstedt to resign have come not from any LGBT organization or gay activist but from lay Catholics, the Archdiocese's own chancellor for canonical affairs, and major donors to the Church. And the calls for resignation are not because of the charges of inappropriate sexual activity, but for Archbishop Nienstedt's gross mishandling of sexual abuse cases that were covered up, and his refusal to force priests to step down.

Gay Sex Investigation Of Archbishop Is Payback For His Condemning Brokeback Mountain: Donohue - The New Civil Rights Movement

Minnesota Archbishop John Nienstedt Under Investigation For Same-Sex Relations

The investigation of Twin Cities Archbishop John Nienstedt is being conducted by a prominent Minneapolis law firm hired by the archdiocese after church officials received an allegation against Nienstedt.

The archdiocese confirmed the investigation, which was first reported by Commonweal, a Catholic magazine based in New York.

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Nienstedt came under fire in September for allegedly failing to report or discipline clergy suspected of molesting children. Those allegations sparked ongoing criminal investigations. The allegations surfaced after Haselberger, who had resigned her post in frustration in April 2013, began leaking internal church documents that appeared to detail efforts to shield abusers.

One of Nienstedt’s top aides, the Rev. Peter Laird, quit. It later emerged that Laird did so after Nienstedt rebuffed his suggestion that the archbishop should resign.

But late last year, the archdiocese received an unrelated allegation that Haselberger said turned up other accusations against Nienstedt, who was ordained a priest in Detroit before becoming a bishop in Minnesota.

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Nienstedt has earned a reputation as a leading culture warrior in the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops and his signature issue is homosexuality.

He frequently discusses the topic, often using controversial language or espousing unorthodox theories. He has said, for example, that homosexuality is not genetic but is a “result of psychological trauma” when a child is between the ages of 18 months and 3 years old.

Homosexuality, he has written, “must be understood in the context of other human disorders: envy, malice, greed, etc.”

Minnesota Archbishop John Nienstedt Under Investigation For Same-Sex Relations

Judge Rules One of America’s Most Vocal Anti-LGBT Catholics Must Testify About Abuse | The New Civil Rights Movement

On Sunday afternoon, Ramsey County District Judge John Van de North confirmed that Minneapolis Archbishop John Nienstedt, one of the nation’s most vocal and vociferous Catholic anti-LGBT voices, must testify about covering up child abuse within the church in Minnesota. Sunday’s ruling, which mirrored his decision early last week, came in response to the Twin Cities archdiocese’s appeal to stay the testimony.

Former Vicar General Kevin McDonough, who recently resigned in light of the cover-up, will also be forced to testify before March 13. The judge also reconfirmed his ruling that the church must turn in a list of all priests accused of child and sexual abuse since 2004, though such names will remain under seal. The archdiocese released a partial list in late 2013, but had refused to release the entire list.

The church’s failed attempt at a stay represented, according to Minnesota Public Radio, a “more aggressive legal approach” than those yet fielded. It also offered its most public legal failure to date in the state, and it remains unclear whether any mechanism for appeal remains.

Judge Rules One of America’s Most Vocal Anti-LGBT Catholics Must Testify About Abuse | The New Civil Rights Movement