KALAMAZOO (MI)
WWMT-TV [Kalamazoo MI]
May 22, 2024
By Katie Sergent
[To see the AG’s report on the Kalamazoo diocese, click here.]
A new report is aiming to shed light on alleged abuse cases that reportedly took place within the Diocese of Kalamazoo.
Released by Attorney General Dana Nessel Wednesday, the report contains detailed descriptions of sexual abuse allegations and other sexual misconduct, including grooming and misuse of authority, against minors and adults, according to the Department of the Attorney General.
Among the findings were the names of 19 priests, 12 of which are priests for the Diocese of Kalamazoo and 7 others who ministered in the Diocese.
Of those 19 individuals, 12 are accused of abusing minors, 5 are accused of misconduct with adults and two others are accused of misconduct with both adults and minors, officials noted.
For those accused of sexually abusing minors, 10 of those are alleged to have done so within the Diocese’s nine counties, while the remaining four allegedly did so outside of the Diocese.
“Today [Wednesday] we are confronted with a disturbing truth,” Bishop Edward M. Lohse said. “The sexual abuse of minors by priests here in the nine counties of the Diocese of Kalamazoo is an historical reality. 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.”
The Diocese of Kalamazoo was given the report in advance to ensure accuracy and completeness.
Wednesday’s unveiling is a tipping point in an continuing investigation that was launched by the attorney general’s office in September 2018.
During that time, 42 Michigan State Police troopers, five other officers and 15 special agents from the attorney general’s office executed search warrants at seven dioceses, including the Diocese of Kalamazoo.
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As a result, the department seized 220 boxes of paper documents and more than 3.5 million digital documents, leading to criminal charges in 11 cases statewide and justice for 38 survivors, officials said.
This included two cases involving Brian Stanley and Jacob Vellian, two priests ministering within the Diocese of Kalamazoo, according to the attorney general’s office.
Stanley, a priest at St. Margaret’s Catholic Church in Otsego, was sentenced in January 2020 to 60 days in jail and 5 years probation after pleading guilty to immobilizing a teenage boy by wrapping him tightly in plastic wrap and using masking tape to cover his eyes and mouth.
He left the boy alone in a janitor’s room for an extended period of time before returning and eventually letting him go in 2013, according to officials.
Vellian, a priest at St. John the Evangelist Parish in Benton Harbor, was charged in May 2019 with two counts of rape under previous criminal sexual assault statues.
However, four years later in November 2023, the department was told that Vellian likely died while awaiting extradition from India, officials said.
They are awaiting confirmation from the Department of State of his death.
Along with Stanley and Vellian, nine other Catholic priests across the state were also charged with sexual assault.
However, possible criminal prosecution of many of the allegations are barred by the statute of limitations because the accused priest is deceased, other allegations did not violate Michigan law, or the person who reported the alleged sexual abuse did not want to press charges, according to officials.
In addition to documents, information was also received through the Attorney General’s abuse tip line.
In all, the tip line has generated 1015 tips related to abuse, which has led to many police investigations with at least 180 victim interviews and more than 285 police reports, officials said.
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For Kalamazoo, the investigation resulted in 65 tips to the AG tipline, with about 16 provided directly from the Diocese of Kalamazoo.
Individuals interested in sharing information related to this investigation can do so by calling the Attorney General’s investigation hotline at 844-324-3374 or by sending an email.
Those who are victims of sexual abuse by those ministering within the Diocese of Kalamazoo can receive financial help from the Diocese in covering professional counseling costs, or can attend a free “Trauma Recovery Program,” officials said.
“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,” Bishop Lohse said. “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.”
He continued, saying that as a Diocese, they must minister to all people, but made it clear that “none hold a greater importance for us than the victim-survivors themselves.”
The Diocese of Kalamazoo held a press conference regarding the report, which was livestreamed within this article at 11 a.m.