Report: Diocese of Lansing mishandled 1990 sexual abuse case

LANSING (MI)
Associated Press

October 18, 2019

The Roman Catholic Diocese of Lansing says an independent investigator determined that the diocese failed to investigate allegations that a priest had sexually assaulted a man at a boxing training camp decades ago.

The diocese on Thursday released the findings of an independent investigation conducted by a law firm it hired to look into the matter.

The investigators say the man sent the Rev. Pat Egan a letter in 1990 saying Egan had sexually assaulted him the previous year, when the accuser was about 25 years old. They say the diocese learned of the accusation in 1990 but didn’t investigate because the accuser wasn’t a minor at the time he said he was assaulted.

The Lansing State Journal reports that Egan was also accused of sexual assault in 2014. After an investigation, the diocese revoked Egan’s priestly facilities and extern status last year.

Bishop Earl Boyea says he’s “deeply sorry” the diocese’s past failure.

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