Attorney General Dana Nessel released the report on clergy abuse in the Catholic Diocese of Kalamazoo in the Catholic Diocese of Kalamazoo Wednesday.
It’s the third of seven reports expected to be released by the end of 2026. One for each of Michigan’s Catholic dioceses and the Archdiocese in Detroit.
According to Wednesday’s report, investigators looked at abuse allegations dating back to 1950 in the nine Southwest Michigan counties that make up the Kalamazoo diocese. But the report also notes that the Diocese of Kalamazoo wasn’t established until 1971.
Of the 19 former Kalamazoo-area priests named in the report, 12 of them are either known to have died or are presumed dead. None of the remaining seven are in active ministry, according to the report. Criminal charges were filed in 2019 and 2020 against two of them.
Death is only one reason why more charges haven’t been filed. In some cases, Nessel said her department didn’t find a state law violation or the statute of limitations had expired. In others, the victim did not want to pursue charges.
“They want to see accountability, but they really don't want to see that defendant in court. They really don't want to have to testify to some of the horrendous abuse that occurred to them in an open courtroom in front of a jury,” Nessel said.
Michigan’s top prosecutor was speaking to reporters at an online news conference following the report’s release.
“We hope that this report provides a voice to those who have suffered in silence for so long, and that it shines a light on those alleged offenders whose actions allowed them to evade true accountability.”
Kalamazoo Bishop Edward Lohse said the diocese has a “very good working relationship” with the Attorney General and they have the "same goal."
“I would say this is difficult information for us to receive, but on another note, I welcome receiving it because this is a part of our history and we need to come to terms with it,” Lohse said.
“We need to own it. To make sure it doesn’t happen again. You can’t build a future reliably on anything other than the truth.”
Lohse also expressed hope that the report, which not only names priests but also describes allegations in detail, will help survivors.
“That alone, in my experience working with people, can be very healing to know that they were heard and believed,” Lohse added.
Bishop Lohse and the Diocese of Kalamazoo published a video response to the Attorney General’s report on the homepage of its website Wednesday.
The investigation into clergy abuse in Michigan’s Catholic dioceses began in September 2018, almost two months before Nessel was elected. Republican Bill Schuette was the attorney general at the time.
Two weeks into the investigation, on Oct. 3, 2018, law enforcement agencies conducted a simultaneous search warrant on all six dioceses and the Archdiocese in Detroit.
In the report released on Wednesday, the AG’s office estimated that 1.5 million paper documents in 220 boxes were seized during the search.
The Diocese of Marquette report was released in October of 2022. In January of this year, the Attorney General published its report on the Diocese of Gaylord.
Survivors of clergy abuse can report it by calling the Attorney General’s hotline at 844-324-3374.
