Temperatures will continue to fall over the next few days

MPR News helps you turn down the noise and build shared understanding. Turn up your support for this public resource and keep trusted journalism accessible to all. 

Turn Up Your Support

Andrew Cozzens says he learned many important lessons about how the Catholic church should respond to abuse by priests. He started his job as auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis just days before a sexual abuse investigation there became public.  

Speaking at a press conference in Crookston, Minn., Monday to announce his new post as bishop of the Crookston diocese, Cozzens, 53, said he will bring those learnings to his work in Crookston.

“I've seen how difficult it can be to change the culture of the church so that we deal with [the] sexual abuse crisis correctly,” he said.

Cozzens will replace Bishop Michael Hoeppner who 

 at the request of Pope Francis after an investigation into whether he covered up sexual abuse in the Crookston diocese. 

Betrayed by Silence

The Diocese of Crookston releases names of priests accused of abuse

Cozzens said this is a challenging time for the church, and he said abuse victims should be the church’s priority.

"Victims are in fact the people we should be most caring for in the crisis, and that the church can actually grow towards health, and being part of the solution for this great problem which plagues all of our society," he said.

Cozzens grew up in Colorado, attended seminary in St. Paul and was ordained in 1997. 

He said he looks forward to blessing fields and farm equipment, and he hopes to be “a perfect fit” for the rural Crookston diocese.

“I do have a great love for the rural people,” he said. “I think we have the privilege in the rural life of really a certain way on strengthening family life and doing things that are much more difficult to do in the urban world."

Religion and Faith

Minnesota News

Greater Minnesota

NewsPartners

Dan Gunderson

Author

Andrew Cozzens has been named bishop of the Crookston, Minn., diocese. A longtime leader in the St. Paul and Minneapolis Catholic diocese, Cozzens said he hopes to bring healing to the Crookston dioceses following an investigation into a cover-up of sexual abuse. 

New bishop hopes to bring healing to Crookston diocese

Go Deeper.

Like this?