Michigan AG releases report on clergy abuse in Saginaw diocese; no charges filed

Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel’s office released a 258-page report June 25 identifying allegations of sexual abuse or other sexual misconduct against 37 priests and one deacon who served in the Diocese of Saginaw, Michigan, but the investigation did not result in any criminal charges. 

The report said 30 of the 38 clergy members identified are known or presumed dead, and none of the remaining eight is currently serving in active ministry.

The Saginaw review is part of a statewide clergy abuse investigation into all seven Catholic dioceses in Michigan that began in September 2018, local outlet MLive reported. 

According to the outlet, authorities searched diocesan offices in 2018 and reviewed hundreds of thousands of records related to the Saginaw diocese. A statewide tip line reportedly generated 1,276 reports related to clergy abuse, with 180 connected to Saginaw. The diocese provided 115 of those reports. 

The allegations involve clergy who served in the diocese between 1950 and the present and include abuse of minors, misconduct involving adults, and abuse of authority. According to MLive, many cases could not be prosecuted because the accused clergy members had died, the allegations fell outside the statute of limitations, or the evidence did not support criminal charges. 

Bishop Robert Gruss apologized to victims following the report’s release in a statement shared by MLive.

“I want to express my deepest sorrows to those who have been victims of abuse by members of the clergy,” Gruss said. “Please accept my sincere apology for the pain and suffering you have experienced by those who were entrusted with your care.”

In a separate statement shared by MLive, Nessel said that her office sought both accountability and transparency in the investigation.

“I pledged to use the resources of my department to ensure the cases of sexual abuse and assault are thoroughly reviewed, and that whenever we are able to pursue criminal charges, we do so relentlessly and aggressively,” she said, according to MLive. “Our additional promise to the many victims throughout the clergy abuse investigation was to make the results of the investigation transparent at its completion.”