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Saginaw Diocese to Name Five Additional Priests with Sexual Abuse Complaints

By Michael Kransz
MLive
April 12, 2018

http://www.mlive.com/news/saginaw/index.ssf/2018/04/saginaw_bishop_holds_press_con.html#incart_river_mobile_index

The Catholic Diocese of Saginaw will name five additional priests with sexual abuse complaints later Friday, bringing the total to seven amid an ongoing criminal investigation.

Bishop Joseph R. Cistone confirmed at a press conference Friday, April 13, that the diocese will publish the names of those priests on its website. Cistone also announced that Michigan Court of Appeals Judge Michael J. Talbot will serve as the independent delegate for the investigation.

"It's my sincere hope that this will bring renewed courage to victims and their families to come forward with a fuller expectation of fairness, justice and healing," Cistone said. "I believe we need what I will call a 'fresh start' ... 'a reboot.'"

The announcement of Talbot as an independent delegate comes nearly a month after Cistone's home, along with two diocese properties, were raided by police.

Talbot is a Catholic who wrote the first Victim's Rights Law for the State of Michigan and was responsible for implementing the law in courts and law enforcement agencies in Wayne County, according to biographical information on the Archdiocese of Detroit's webpage.

He's also member of the board of Catholic Education for the Archdiocese of Detroit, chairman of the Advisory Board of St. John's Center for Family and Youth and a member of the Catholic Lawyers Society Board of Directors.

The search warrants, which saw the seizing of documents, records and computers, were executed after prosecutors allege diocese officials failed to fully cooperate in the ongoing investigation into sexual abuse within the Catholic Diocese of Saginaw.

Cistone reiterated the claim that the diocese had been cooperating with law enforcement.

"It's not being perceived that we're doing enough," he said. "We will do our best to be as open and as fair and as clear as we can be in terms of procedures and practices."

Talbot, who is retiring from the bench in April 25, will act as a liaison between the diocese and media, prosecutors, police and others. Talbot will work voluntarily and will be independent from the diocese, reporting wrongdoing to police if needed, he said.

The diocese will publish a list of five former diocese priests accused of sexual abuse to their website sometime Friday. One of those priests is deceased, and all are defrocked. At this time, it's not clear if any were criminally charged. Cistone said the priests involvement with the diocese dates back 20-30 years.

Talbot said the move is expected to help other victims come forward.

"I need to hear from those who have hesitated to come forward," he said. "If you have been the victim of an assault of any sort, please come forward."

To date, only one diocese priest, the Rev. Robert DeLand, has been criminally charged in the sexual abuse probe. He was arrested Feb. 25 on accusations he sexually assaulted two males -- a 21-year-old and a 17-year-old -- in his Saginaw Township condominium.

Prosecutors issued further charges against DeLand last week, alleging he additionally sexually assaulted an 18-year-old man, furnished alcohol to a minor and was in possession of a controlled substance.

He remains out on bond, but barred by the diocese from practicing as a minister. Another diocese priest, the Rev. Ronald J. Dombrowski, was suspended in early March by the diocese after they received a report he allegedly sexually assaulted a person when they were a minor. He has not been criminally charged.

Cistone has come under scrutiny before with regard to sexual abuse investigations.

Some parishioners have called for him to resign. Cistone said that wasn't happening.

"I haven't given thought to resigning," he said. "I have no intention of resigning."

A 2005 grand jury report into sexual abuse and cover-up within the Archdiocese of Philadelphia mentions Cistone's time as a high-ranking member in the 90s.

Among other findings, the grand jury report alleges Cistone was given several updates in 1996 on efforts to silence a nun who tried informing parishioners about a priest's past, particularly his "predilection for naked children."

The year before, Cistone wrote a memo to the cardinal stating accusations of sexual abuse against a priest "has the potential of becoming a PR concern," according to the report. That priest soon resigned but later went on to other posts within the church.

In 2012, a lawyer accused Cistone of misleading that grand jury by not acknowledging he witnessed the shredding of documents in 1994 that contained the names of priests suspected of child molestation.

While other priests were later criminally charged, Cistone wasn't.

Contact: mkransz@mlive.com

 

 

 

 

 




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