Detroit archbishop on sex abuse scandal: Repent or get out

By Ann Zaniewski
Detroit Free Press
August 14, 2018

http://ux.freep.com/story/news/local/michigan/detroit/2018/08/14/vigneron-clergy-detroit-archdiocese-pennsylvania-priest-scandal/980104002/

Detroit Archbishop Allen Vigneron Photo by Ryan Garza

On the eve of Tuesday's release of a scathing grand jury report about church leaders protecting more than 300 "predator priests" in Pennsylvania, Archbishop of Detroit Allen Vigneron said priests who have impure relations with others need to repent or give up the priesthood.

He stressed that all clergy — including bishops like himself — need to be held accountable for their behavior.

Vigneron's remarks came in two similar letters Monday — one geared toward clergy, the other to the faithful at large — issued ahead of  the release of the report which accused leaders in six Pennsylvania dioceses for decades of being more interested in safeguarding the church and the abusers than the well-being of more than 1,000 victims.

Vigneron said he shares in the pain of facing the latest allegations of abuse in the church. He also said he is praying for the victims. 

"I note a temptation to despair among some over whether things can change," he wrote. "However, we know that reform can only happen when hope lives."

"We must move forward with the conviction that God will not abandon his church. He wants her purified, cleansed of these sins and brought to new life." 

Vigneron's letters were written in anticipation of the report and in light of revelations of misconduct by former Cardinal Theodore McCarrick, according to Archdiocese of Detroit officials. 

McCarrick, who once served as archbishop of Washington, D.C., recently resigned following allegations that the 88-year-old prelate had for years sexually abused boys and had been involved in sexual misconduct with adult seminarians.

The Pennsylvania investigation is the latest scandal involving allegations of sexual abuse to rock the Catholic Church.

Closer to home in the Diocese of Saginaw,  investigations are underway after two priests were suspended from ministry after allegations of sexual abuse of minors. The Rev. Robert DeLand was arrested in February and is awaiting trial, and the Rev. Ronald Dombrowski was suspended from ministry in March.

The diocese in April released the names of four former priests and one former deacon who were removed from ministry several years ago because of credible abuse allegations. In addition to an investigation by county prosecutors, the Saginaw diocese also has asked retired Judge Michael Talbot to lead an internal probe into the sexual abuse allegations.

In Detroit, Vigneron wrote that he wanted to acknowledge how discouraging and disheartening it is "for us once again to come face-to-face with moral failures in the priesthood." 

Vigneron pointed to the words of then-pope St. John Paul II, who in 2002 said it must be clear that bishops and superiors are foremost concerned about the spiritual good of souls, and that there is no place in religious life for people who harm the young. 

"Building on the charge of St. John Paul, and in the light of reports about former Cardinal McCarrick’s sins against chastity, I affirm that priests who try to live a double life by 'cheating on the church' through impure relations with others need to repent or to give up their pastoral office," wrote Vigneron, who pledged to hold clergy accountable.

Vigneron said he, too, is accountable for living up to his commitment to celibacy. 

"To that end, it is essential that I adhere to my habits of prayer and asceticism, especially regular confession and spiritual direction," he said. "In standing before Christ’s judgment, I humbly give an accounting for myself, acknowledging my weaknesses and asking for pardon and healing.

"Were I to lapse in my chastity, I should be corrected not only by those in authority over me, but by any brother or sister who had knowledge of my fall," he wrote. 

Vigneron noted that the Archdiocese of Detroit has initiated training programs and other steps to prevent and address sexual abuse.

When allegations of wrongdoing surface, the archdiocese reports them to local police and cooperates with investigators, Vigneron said. If claims are substantiated, the names of the accused are publicized. It doesn't matter how much time has passed since the abuse occurred. 

Still, Vigneron said recent news reports about abuse allegations prove that clergy and lay people alike must remain vigilant.  

"This summer’s news reports affirm why we — as bishops, priests, church representatives and lay people — must be ever vigilant to protect children from abuse and must redouble our efforts of outreach and healing to those most harmed by sexual abuse," he said. "I remain fully committed to this goal. We can never become complacent with what has been accomplished."