Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel released a report on Monday, detailing sexual abuse and misconduct allegations against dozens of priests in the Diocese of Grand Rapids.
According to the report, 51 priests are accused of sexual misconduct against children or adults since Jan. 1, 1950.
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Of the 51 priests listed, 38 were ordained or incardinated by the Diocese of Grand Rapids.
Thirty-seven priests are known or presumed dead, and none of the 14 living priests are actively serving in the Diocese of Grand Rapids, according to the report.
For the 51 priests, except for a few cases, the alleged behavior that might have violated Michigan criminal law happened before 2002, the year the U.S. Bishops’ Charter was established.
“Accountability does not end with criminal prosecution,” Nessel said in a news release on Monday, Dec. 15. “Accountability includes transparency, acknowledgement and a commitment to believing in and supporting victims. No matter how much time has passed, survivors deserve to be heard, and by releasing these reports, we hope to honor the courage of victims and ensure their experiences are no longer hidden.”
Criminal charges have been issued in 11 cases throughout the state, resulting in convictions in nine of them, which involved 38 survivors.
Of those 11 cases, none of them involved priests in the Diocese of Grand Rapids, according to the release.
The list of priests was compiled with information from a search warrant that was executed against the diocese, the AG tip line, victim interviews, police investigations, paper and electronic documents seized from the Diocese of Grand Rapids, and reports of sexual misconduct allegations that were provided by the Diocese.
In Oct. 2018, authorities executed search warrants at Michigan’s seven dioceses, seizing 220 boxes of paper documents and more than 3.5 million documents.
“Of the 220 boxes of paper documents that were seized from the Archdiocese and the six Dioceses, 60 boxes containing approximately 150,000 documents were reviewed related to the Diocese of Grand Rapids,” according to the release. “Of the 3.5 million electronic documents seized, 271,975 documents were reviewed related to the Diocese of Grand Rapids.”
The Department of Attorney General said there will be a report for each of the six Dioceses and the Archdiocese of Detroit. In addition to this new report on the Diocese of Grand Rapids, the following four reports have been released:
- Diocese of Marquette (Oct. 27, 2022)
- Diocese of Gaylord (Jan. 8, 2024)
- Diocese of Kalamazoo (May 22, 2024)
- Diocese of Lansing (Dec. 16, 2024)
For more information about Nessel’s clergy abuse investigation, visit here.
Those wishing to report abuse can call the investigation hotline at 844-324-3374.
Victims of sexual abuse and assault seeking additional support and resources can reach out to 855-VOICES4 for assistance.