Marquette, Mich. (WZMQ) – The report released by the attorney general was following 4 years of investigation which started on September 21st 2018.The Attorney General’s office worked in conjunction with the Michigan State Police to investigate whether the sexual abuse of adults and minors in the Diocese was properly reported and if criminal chargers could be brought against those responsible.
Allegations have been brought against 44 different Priests in the upper peninsula spanning from the late 1940s until at least 2002. The investigation in total yielded 52 tips in total with 16 coming directly from the Marquette Diocese.
The Attorney General report notes “the allegations are summarized here, and their inclusion does not reflect a determination by the department that the allegations are credible or otherwise substantiated.”
The Marquette Catholic Diocese says they have not had allegations of abuse against a minor since 1997.
The church confirmed that any of the Priests with substantial accusations of sexual abuse inolving a minor are not in active ministry for the upper peninsula but would not confirm or deny if any of the Priests with allegations were serving the church elsewhere.
According to the report of the 44 priests listed with allegations against them 32 are known or presumed to be dead.
6 of the priests are accused of sexual misconduct with an adult 18 and over.2 of the 12 living priests have been charged criminally one has been convicted and one is awaiting trial
The full report can be found here.
