SAGINAW TOWNSHIP (MI)
Church Militant
March 7, 2018
By Christine Niles, M.St. (Oxon.), J.D.
In Philadelphia, Bp. Joseph Cistone was intimately involved in protecting abusive priests
The head of a Michigan diocese wracked with scandal has himself been implicated in sex abuse cover-up.
After Fr. Robert DeLand, judicial vicar and a judge on the marriage tribunal, was arrested for gay sex assault in February, Bp. Joseph Cistone told parishioners he was “heartbroken” over the allegations.
“[M]y thoughts, prayers and empathy go out to anyone who may have been victimized,” Cistone told a weekend gathering at St. Agnes parish in Freeland, where DeLand was pastor. “We know that the trauma runs deep and long not only for the victims but for their family and loved ones as well. We stand ready to assist them.”
Reliable inside sources have told Church Militant, however, that the diocese has been aware of DeLand’s behavior for years and did nothing to rein him in.
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