BishopAccountability.org

Saginaw bishop offers 'thoughts, prayers and sorrow' for abuse victims

By Cole Waterman
MLive
August 22, 2018

https://www.mlive.com/news/saginaw/index.ssf/2018/08/saginaw_diocese_bishop_named_i.html#incart_river_mobile_index

The Most Rev. Joseph R. Cistone, Bishop of Saginaw, delivers the homily during the noon Ash Wednesday Mass at the Cathedral of Mary of the Assumption, 615 Hoyt in Saginaw on Feb. 10, 2016.
Photo by Jacob Hamilton

In the wake of a federal grand jury naming 301 Catholic priests alleged to have sexually abused children in Pennsylvania, Saginaw Diocese Bishop Joseph R. Cistone has issued a statement offering his thoughts and prayers for all victims of clergy sex abuse.

The statement comes as one of Cistone's own subordinates awaits trial on charges of sexually assaulting juveniles.

"My thoughts, prayers and sorrow go out to all victims of clergy sex abuse, especially those whose tragic accounts of abuse are detailed in the grand jury report released in Pennsylvania," Cistone wrote in the Aug. 21 letter published on the Catholic Diocese of Saginaw's website.

"The numbers in the report are staggering, and the horrific details of alleged child abuse over 70 years is numbing. People of faith and good will are understandably experiencing deep emotions of anger, betrayal, and a sincere desire for justice.

"On behalf of the Diocese of Saginaw," the letter continues, "I remain fully committed to the safety of children."

Read the complete letter here.

Cistone is named in a lawsuit filed in Saginaw County Circuit Court by attorney Todd J. Weglarz of Southfield firm Fieger, Fieger, Kenney & Harington on behalf of a minor identified as John Doe and an adult representative. Also named in the suit are the Saginaw Diocese and the Rev. Robert J. "Father Bob" DeLand Jr.

The suit alleges DeLand, 71, had groomed and molested a teenage boy. Cistone and the Diocese are named as defendants in the suit due to allegations that they knew of DeLand's alleged misconduct with minors but turned a blind eye to it.

The suit alleges the defendants' conduct caused the boy pain and suffering, feelings of fear, anger, embarrassment, humiliation, and guilt, sleep disturbances, and mental anguish and depression.

In addition to the lawsuit, DeLand has been charged with two counts of second-degree criminal sexual conduct involving injury and single counts of attempted second-degree criminal sexual conduct, assault with intent to commit second-degree criminal sexual conduct, gross indecency between males, selling alcohol to a minor, and distributing an imitation controlled substance.

DeLand's trial on those charges is to begin with jury selection the morning of Sept. 5. Saginaw County Circuit Judge Darnell Jackson is to preside, with defense attorney Alan A. Crawford representing DeLand.

The charges are divided among five files and involve three separate teen males, one of whom is the plaintiff in the lawsuit who testified in several criminal court hearings on April 25 and 27. The two other alleged victims also testified on those days.

In his Aug. 21 letter, Cistone noted that in April he appointed retired Michigan Court of Appeals Judge Michael J. Talbot to serve as the Diocese's delegate in independently reviewing matters of alleged sexual misconduct.

"At the time," Cistone wrote, "I stated that it was my sincere hope that this step would bring renewed courage to victims -- and their families -- to come forward with a fuller expectation of fairness, justice and healing. We know that the trauma runs deep and long not only for the victims but for their family and loved ones as well. I continued to encourage anyone who has been abused to come forward and report their complaint to civil authorities."

Talbot's appointment came a month after Cistone's home and two diocesan offices were raided by police. Police had arrested DeLand prior to that in February, with the Diocese suspending him after. At the time of his arrest, DeLand served as the Diocese's judicial vicar and the pastor of St. Agnes Catholic Church in Freeland.

After the police raids, some Saginaw Diocese parishioners called for Cistone's resignation, with some referencing the bishop's past. Prior to coming to Saginaw, Cistone was a high-ranking member of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia, a diocese that saw a grand jury report on sexual abuse and cover-up.

Among other findings, the 2005 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.

Cistone never faced any criminal charges.

When Talbot's appointment was announced, the diocese also named the following five clerics who had been permanently removed from ministry due to credible allegations of sexual abuse of minors:

In addition, in March the Rev. Ronald J. Dombrowski, 72, was suspended as a "precautionary measure" after a person told the diocese on March 15 that Dombrowski allegedly sexually abused them when they were a minor.

The diocese forwarded the complaint to law enforcement.  No criminal charges have been filed against Dombrowski.

Saginaw County Assistant Prosecutor Mark Gaertner told MLive on Aug. 21 that another area priest not mentioned above is being looked at as "a person of interest." He said he is not aware of any federal grand jury investigation on priest sex abuse locally.

A grand jury in Pennsylvania on July 27 released an 887-page report alleging 301 Catholic priests have credibly committed sexual abuse against more than 1,000 children since 1947.

Unrelated to the grand jury's findings, the Rev. Kevin Lonergan on Aug. 21 was charged in Lehigh County, Pennsylvania, with indecent assault and corruption of minors after being accused of inappropriately touching a 17-year-old girl and sending her nude photos of himself.

Contact: cwaterma@mlive.com




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