Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel released a landmark report on Monday accusing 48 Catholic priests and other clergy members of historic sexual misconduct in the Diocese of Lansing, uncovering decades of abuse dating back to the 1950s.
The report, part of Michigan’s five-year investigation, details allegations against 56 individuals, including priests, deacons, and religious brothers. The findings are based on interviews with survivors, more than 1,100 public tips, media reports, and an extensive review of church documents, including 220 physical boxes of files and 3.5 million digital records seized by investigators.
Most of the alleged abuse occurred in the 1970s and 1980s. While 11 individuals have been charged as part of the investigation — leading to nine convictions — many of the accused are now deceased, and some living suspects cannot face prosecution due to statutes of limitations or victims not pursuing charges.
“These reports are important, not just because we made a promise to the survivors years ago, but because victims, especially in cases like these where the assaults were perpetrated by entrusted members of a community, are often silenced — in some cases for decades or a lifetime,” Nessel said in a statement.
The Diocese of Lansing cooperated with the investigation, which Nessel acknowledged as instrumental in compiling the report.
Among those convicted is Vincent DeLorenzo, an 84-year-old priest who pleaded guilty last year to abusing a 5-year-old boy after a family funeral in 1987. DeLorenzo died in January while serving his sentence. Timothy Crowley, a former Ann Arbor priest, received one year in jail and five years of probation after pleading guilty to second-degree criminal sexual conduct.
In response to the report, Bishop Earl Boyea, head of the Diocese of Lansing since 2008, issued an apology to survivors and their families.
“Having read this long and detailed report, my heart breaks for all those who have suffered due to the evil of clerical sexual abuse, which is a great betrayal of Jesus Christ, His Holy Church, the priesthood, and, most gravely, those victims — and their families — who were harmed physically, emotionally, but above all spiritually when they were so young,” Boyea said.
“To all those injured by such criminal and immoral actions I say clearly and without hesitation: these terrible things should never have happened to you; I am so deeply sorry that they ever did; please be assured of my prayers, penance, love and support,” he added.
The report on the Diocese of Lansing is part of a broader investigation into the Catholic Church in Michigan. Nessel’s office has already released findings for the dioceses of Gaylord, Marquette, and Kalamazoo and plans to publish reports on all seven dioceses across the state by 2026.
This investigation underscores the ongoing reckoning within the Catholic Church, as survivors of abuse and advocates continue to push for accountability, transparency, and justice.
