Attorney general issues report on handling of abuse claims in Kalamazoo diocese

Since 1950, sexual misconduct claims were made against 19 priests in west Michigan diocese, with most occurring before 2002

KALAMAZOO — The Office of Michigan’s Attorney General released the third of seven expected reports into allegations of clergy abuse and misconduct in Michigan’s seven dioceses May 22, detailing its findings from an investigation into the handling of abuse claims in the Diocese of Kalamazoo.

Reports have previously been issued on the Diocese of Marquette and the Diocese of Gaylord.

Although the Diocese of Kalamazoo was established in 1971, the report said the investigation covered allegations dating back to 1950 involving current or former clergy of the Kalamazoo diocese, including religious order priests and priests of other dioceses ministering in the Kalamazoo diocese.

Since 1950, the report said, allegations of sexual misconduct have been made against 19 priests in the Diocese of Kalamazoo, of whom 12 were ordained or later incardinated into the diocese. The remaining seven priests are from religious orders or other dioceses who ministered within the Diocese of Kalamazoo. The report includes both substantiated and unsubstantiated allegations of abuse.

The attorney general’s office said the Kalamazoo diocese, like Michigan’s other six dioceses, cooperated in the investigation.

Of the 19 priests identified in the attorney general’s report, 12 are “known or presumed to be dead,” and of the seven others, “none are in active ministry,” the report said. The attorney general’s office said it filed criminal charges against two priests: Fr. Brian Stanley and Msgr. Jacob Vellian. Msgr. Vellian, of the Archdiocese of Kottayam, India, reportedly died in December 2022 while awaiting extradition.

The attorney general’s office noted that the “majority of conduct as alleged that may have violated Michigan criminal law occurred before 2002.”

Twelve of the priests listed in the report are alleged to have abused minors, while five were accused of misconduct with adults. Two were accused of misconduct with both minors and adults.

In response to the report, Kalamazoo Bishop Edward M. Lohse issued a statement apologizing to victim-survivors and expressing sadness at the “historical reality” of abuse in the Diocese of Kalamazoo.

“Today we are confronted with a disturbing truth. The sexual abuse of minors by priests here in the nine counties of the Diocese of Kalamazoo is an historical reality,” Bishop Lohse said. “It is tragic, appalling, and inexcusable. No one knows this better than you who are the victim-survivors of that abuse. You were entrusted to our care, and we failed to protect you. There is no other way to put it. For that failure, I am deeply sorry.”

Bishop Lohse encouraged anyone affected by abuse to call a dedicated hotline set up by the Michigan Attorney General’s Office at (844) 324-3374, or a crisis hotline operated by Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Kalamazoo at (800) 873-8336.

On April 18, the Diocese of Kalamazoo released a list of individuals who are “disqualified and prohibited from working or volunteering with children in any parish, school, agency, institution, or any other Catholic entity located within the Diocese of Kalamazoo,” the diocese said in its news release. All of the individuals named in the attorney general’s report are included in this list, it said.

In addition, the diocese offers support for victim-survivors and their families, it said, including financial support for professional counseling costs, and a 10-week trauma recovery program that “is open to all people dealing with the impact of childhood trauma.”

More than 600 people have participated in the program, called The Trauma Recovery Program, since its launch in 2003.

The diocese also requires all staff and volunteers in parishes, schools, diocesan offices and apostolates to undergo safe environment training and background checks.

Bishop Lohse lamented that the reality of abuse has caused deep wounds in the Kalamazoo community, and pledged that the diocese would do all it can to protect and accompany victims and their families.

“We need to recognize that the harm inflicted by the sexual misconduct of priests, and especially the abuse of minors, affects not only the victim survivors but also their families,” said Bishop Lohse. “In truth, clergy sexual abuse has affected the entire community of believers. It affects those who work with survivors trying to provide some measure of healing, and it has taken a toll on those priests themselves who have never abused anyone, who have remained faithful to their calling, and who have been deeply betrayed by those whom they had called their brothers.

“As a diocese, we must minister to all of these people, but I want to be clear: none hold a greater importance for us than the victim-survivors themselves,” Bishop Lohse added.

The Attorney General’s Office plans to release individual reports on each of the remaining four Michigan dioceses, including the Archdiocese of Detroit, at a later date.