A letter from Bishop James P. Powers

SUPERIOR (WI)
Catholic Herald

June 14, 2019

As Bishop of the Catholic Diocese of Superior, I reach out with sympathy to offer my apologies on behalf of the Catholic Church for the clergy sexual abuse of the past in our Diocese. I am committed to a “no cover-up” policy for any report of abuse, and am working toward a transparency disclosure list of abuser priests in our Diocese.

In response to the State of Wisconsin and Lincoln County notices that David Malsch has been approved by the court to be released from his custodial treatment, I again offer my sincere apologies to the many victims and their families who suffered abuse by the former Fr. Malsch. As Bishop I fully support the law enforcement work and court system’s accountability and incarceration of Mr. Malsch for the past 26 years.

David Malsch is no longer a Catholic priest. When the allegations were made against David Malsch in 1993, a diocesan priest and other professionals immediately reported him to the proper legal authorities, and cooperated with law enforcement and diocesan investigations. David Malsch was removed immediately from priestly and parish ministry, and has never functioned again as a priest. He was laicized by the Congregation for Clergy in Rome, Italy, in response to the Diocese of Superior petition, and his priestly faculties were removed permanently. He was charged, prosecuted and convicted in 1993 in Marathon County (Wausau), and was sentenced to prison and custodial treatment by the judge for the Child Enticement felony crime he committed.

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