Head of New Ulm Diocese named coadjutor for St. Paul-Minneapolis

Published: 2007-04-24

WASHINGTON (CNS) -- Pope Benedict XVI has appointed Bishop John C. Nienstedt of New Ulm, Minn., as coadjutor archbishop of St. Paul and Minneapolis. Archbishop Pietro Sambi, apostolic nuncio to the United States, announced the appointment in Washington April 24. Archbishop Harry J. Flynn is the current head of the archdiocese. As coadjutor, Archbishop Nienstedt automatically becomes head of the archdiocese upon Archbishop Flynn's retirement or death. On May 2, 2008, Archbishop Flynn will turn 75, the age at which bishops are requested by church law to submit their resignations to the pope. The pope may or may not accept it at that time. Archbishop Nienstedt, 60, has headed the New Ulm Diocese since 2001. Before that he was a priest and then auxiliary bishop of the Detroit Archdiocese. At a press conference in St. Paul he said he plans to spend the next year getting to know the people he will be working with. "I see myself as a learner," he said. "I'll come here, I'll listen, I'll talk to people, I'll go around to the parishes, to the schools, and just see what's going on. ... This next year will be a sharp learning curve for me."

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