Kirchenakte Documented events from judgments, reports and church documents
1950-2024 · 74 years · show in timeline

Diocese of Lansing 1950 to 2024: Michigan Attorney General documents allegations against 56 clergy, including a bishop, after searching all seven dioceses

In September 2018 the Michigan Attorney General, together with the state police, began an investigation into sexual abuse in all seven Catholic dioceses of the state. On 3 October 2018 police officers and special agents simultaneously searched the Archdiocese of Detroit and all six dioceses and seized more than 220 boxes with about 1.5 million paper documents. The fourth report, on the Diocese of Lansing, appeared in December 2024. It lists allegations against 56 clergy since 1950, mostly for acts against boys and girls under 16; the diocese itself names 17 priests as credibly accused, including Bishop James S. Sullivan, who died in 2006. Most acts occurred before 2002 and can no longer be prosecuted. According to the office, inclusion in the report is no finding that an allegation is true.

Period
1950-2024 (74 years)
Country
United States
Institutions
Diocese of Lansing
Archdiocese of Detroit
Diocese of Fargo
Category
Sexual abuse
Level of evidence
A Primary source · what does this mean?
Persons
James S. Sullivan (Auxiliary Bishop of Lansing from 1972, Bishop of Fargo 1985 to 2002, died 2006; listed by the Diocese of Lansing in 2021 as credibly accused)

What happened to the people

Who was affected? Victims and numbers

  1. The list comprises 56 entries since 1950: 48 priests, three religious brothers and one apparent former brother, and four deacons. Most allegations concern sexual abuse, assault or grooming of boys and girls under 16; against five priests there were only allegations concerning adults. The office stresses that inclusion in the report does not mean a finding that an allegation is credible or substantiated. Most of the potentially criminal conduct occurred before 2002.
    Evidence: Michigan Department of Attorney General, Attorney General Dana Nessel, Summary, S. 5
    „There are 56“
    Diocese of Lansing. A Complete Accounting, Summary, S. 5. Original
    Evidence: Michigan Department of Attorney General, Attorney General Dana Nessel, Summary, S. 5
    „The allegations are summarized here, and their inclusion does not reflect a“
    Diocese of Lansing. A Complete Accounting, Summary, S. 5. Original
    Evidence: Michigan Department of Attorney General, Attorney General Dana Nessel, Summary, S. 6
    „deacons, the vast majority of conduct as alleged that may have violated Michigan“
    Diocese of Lansing. A Complete Accounting, Summary, S. 6. Original

How were they charged and sentenced?

  1. The Michigan Attorney General began an investigation with the state police on 21 September 2018, among other things to determine whether the dioceses complied with their statutory duty to report sexual abuse of minors. On 3 October 2018 the archdiocese and all six dioceses were searched simultaneously; more than 220 boxes and about 1.5 million paper documents were seized. For Lansing 161 tips came in, 44 of them directly from the diocese; about 60,000 paper and 767,583 electronic documents were reviewed.
    Evidence: Michigan Department of Attorney General, Attorney General Dana Nessel, Summary, S. 1
    „On September 21, 2018, the Michigan Department of Attorney General (AG), in“
    Diocese of Lansing. A Complete Accounting, Summary, S. 1. Original
    Evidence: Michigan Department of Attorney General, Attorney General Dana Nessel, Summary, S. 1
    „was to determine if the Archdiocese and the Dioceses were complying with their“
    Diocese of Lansing. A Complete Accounting, Summary, S. 1. Original
    Evidence: Michigan Department of Attorney General, Attorney General Dana Nessel, Summary, S. 1
    „hours, and more than 220 boxes of documents were seized. In total, an estimated“
    Diocese of Lansing. A Complete Accounting, Summary, S. 1. Original
    Evidence: Michigan Department of Attorney General, Attorney General Dana Nessel, Summary, S. 4
    „For Lansing, the investigation yielded 161 tips to the AG tipline, and 44 of those“
    Diocese of Lansing. A Complete Accounting, Summary, S. 4. Original

Background

Response of the Church

  1. The Diocese of Lansing itself lists 17 diocesan priests as credibly accused of abusing minors, including Bishop James S. Sullivan, auxiliary bishop of Lansing from 1972 and bishop of Fargo from 1985. In 2021 the diocese declared allegations against Sullivan, who died in 2006, to be credible. In 2018 a former altar boy told police that Sullivan had repeatedly groped him after confession in the 1960s. The diocese declares a zero-tolerance policy; of the living accused, one deacon was still in active ministry at publication; no charges were filed against him.
    Evidence: Michigan Department of Attorney General, Attorney General Dana Nessel, Summary, S. 5
    „The Diocese identifies 17 diocesan priests“
    Diocese of Lansing. A Complete Accounting, Summary, S. 5. Original
    Evidence: Michigan Department of Attorney General, Attorney General Dana Nessel, Nr. 49, S. 308
    „the late Bishop Sullivan deemed“
    Diocese of Lansing. A Complete Accounting, Nr. 49, S. 308. Original
    Evidence: Michigan Department of Attorney General, Attorney General Dana Nessel, Nr. 49, S. 308
    „After the confession Sullivan“
    Diocese of Lansing. A Complete Accounting, Nr. 49, S. 308. Original
    Evidence: Michigan Department of Attorney General, Attorney General Dana Nessel, Summary, S. 6
    „priests and deacons who are living or presumed to be living, one is in active“
    Diocese of Lansing. A Complete Accounting, Summary, S. 6. Original

Original documents to read

  1. Government report
    Michigan Department of Attorney General, Attorney General Dana Nessel: Diocese of Lansing. A Complete Accounting, 16 December 2024. Original (retrieved 31 Oct 2026)
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Last changed on 31 October 2026. Is something missing or wrong? Suggest an addition or correction.