LANSING (MI)
Newschannel 3
October 11, 2018
A priest in Lansing who was suspended due to what the diocese called a credible allegation of sexual abuse had served about 20 years in pastoral ministries in the Diocese of Kalamazoo.
The Diocese of Lansing officially revoked priestly faculties for the Rev. Robert Gerl on Oct. 5, 2018. Gerl was accused of sexual assault involving an adult male in an incident that occurred decades ago, the Catholic Church in Lansing said. Gerl was not assigned to a parish because he’s on senior status. Some of his previous duties as a senior priest included officiating mass, listening to confessions, baptisms and anointing the sick or dying.
Lansing Diocesan spokesman Michael Diebold said Michigan State Police have seized Gerl’s file as part of Attorney General Bill Schuette’s investigation into possible sexual abuse by Roman Catholic priests in Michigan.
Note: This is an Abuse Tracker excerpt. Click the title to view the full text of the original article. If the original article is no longer available, see our News Archive.