Michigan governor asks for additional $2m to investigate clergy sex abuse

Lansing, Mich., Mar 15, 2019 / 13:54 pm

Michigan's Governor Gretchen Whitmer has asked the state's legislature for an additional $2 million in funding for the state's ongoing sex abuse investigation into Michigan's seven Catholic dioceses.

Spurred by the release of the grand jury report out of Pennsylvania last year, which documented hundreds of cases of clergy sex abuse that took place over several decades in almost every diocese in the state, Michigan's then-Attorney General Bill Schuette launched the state's own investigation in August 2018.

This week, Whitmer asked the state legislature for additional funding to cover the costs of the rest of the investigation, which is expected to last two years, The Detroit News reported.

Kelly Rossman-McKinney, a spokeswoman for Attorney General Dana Nessel, told The Detroit News that while the investigation had thus far been covered internally by the state department, "the sheer size and scope of the investigation requires that we ask the Legislature to appropriate funds for this project."

Rossman-McKinney told The Detroit News that the requested funding would come from state settlements, and would be used to cover "additional investigatory resources and victims' advocacy services," pending approval by the state legislature.

The investigation covers all seven Catholic dioceses in the state - Gaylord, Lansing, Marquette, Grand Rapids, Saginaw, Kalamazoo, and Detroit - and includes cases of sexual abuse dating back to the 1950s.

After the announcement of the investigation in the fall of 2018, the dioceses said they welcomed the investigation and pledged their full cooperation.

A statement from the Archdiocese of Detroit said at the time that they "looked forward" to cooperating with state officials and actively participating in the investigation. The archdiocese also emphasized its confidence in its safe environment practices already in place, but added that the investigation would be the next step toward healing.

While the dioceses have pledged cooperation, in a press conference last month, Nessel warned dioceses against "self-policing," using non-disclosure agreements with victims, and "failing to deliver" on their promises to cooperate with state authorities.

The Archdiocese of Detroit countered that Nessel was making "broad generalizations" and that she should clarify which dioceses, if any, were being uncooperative.

"The Archdiocese of Detroit does not self-police," the archdiocese said Feb. 21. "We encourage all victims to report abuse directly to law enforcement."

"Clergy with credible accusations against them do not belong in ministry," it added. "Since the attorney general's investigation began, the Archdiocese of Detroit has not received notification from that office regarding credible accusations against any of our priests. Should we become aware of such a complaint, we will act immediately."

The Detroit archdiocese noted its support for mandatory sex abuse reporting laws and its efforts to widely publicize the state's sex abuse tip-line. It added that the archdiocese places no time limits on the reporting of sex abuse of minors by priests, deacons and other personnel. The archdiocese added that the attorney general's office has not asked it to stop internal review processes.

Other dioceses responded in kind, asking for clarification and reiterating their dedication to cooperation and transparency.

Each diocese was subject to a raid by state authorities last October as part of the investigation, for which the dioceses pledged full cooperation, including Saginaw, which had undergone an earlier, local raid in March, in which local authorities cited a lack of cooperation from diocesan officials.

In a statement, Saginaw emphasized its willingness to cooperate with the state raids in October.

According to The Detroit News, the Michigan Attorney General's office has received approximately 360 complaints since the investigation began in August.

Last year the state extended the statue of limitations in sexual assault cases to 15 years in criminal cases, and 10 in civil. Indictments for abuse of minor victims can be filed within 15 years of the crime or by the victim's 28th birthday.

State officials have urged victims of clergy abuse or those with tips pertinent to the investigation to file complaints with the clergy abuse hotline at (1-844-324-3374) or online at mi.gov/clergyabuse.