SAGINAW — Following the release of Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel’s report on sexual abuse allegations within the Diocese of Saginaw, Bishop Robert D. Gruss issued a statement Thursday in response, drawing a rebuke from the Abuse Survivors Coalition.

The Department of Attorney General recent report identified 38 clergy members — 37 priests and one deacon — as having been accused of sexual misconduct involving minors or adults in the Diocese of Saginaw over a period spanning more than 70 years. Of those, 30 were ordained or incardinated by the Diocese of Saginaw.

“It’s important to know that at every step of the process, we, like all the other Dioceses in Michigan, have fully cooperated with the AG office since launching its investigation in 2018,” Gruss said in a written statement Thursday. “We fully believe in greater accountability and transparency, which is essential in restoring the trust that has been broken resulting from the misconduct of a few.”

The Saginaw report is the sixth of seven expected from the Attorney General’s office, each covering seven of Michigan’s Catholic dioceses. A final report addressing the Archdiocese of Detroit is expected later this year.

The Abuse Survivors Coalition criticized Gruss’ remarks, saying his response minimized the severity of the findings.

“The Bishop’s words ignored the systemic problem and minimized what occurred during the time period covered in the report,” the group said. “For example, Bishop Gruss apologized for the trust that has been broken by the ‘misconduct of a few.’ But childhood sexual abuse by clergy is not ‘misconduct.’ It is serious criminal behavior resulting in lifelong damage to the victims.”

Gruss noted that the Attorney General’s report did not indicate the Diocese of Saginaw violated Michigan’s mandatory reporting laws and that no criminal charges have been filed against any of the named clergy as a result of the investigation.

He further pointed out that more than 680 priests served in the Diocese over the 75-year period reviewed, compared with the 38 clergy members identified in the report.

The Abuse Survivors Coalition responded that this framing was misleading.

“Bishop Gruss emphasized that the report only identified 38 clerics out of 680 in total as perpetrators. This would yield a rate of abuse of only 5.6%,” said the ASC. “The Bishop provided no explanation as to why his Diocese would have such a small percentage of clergymen who sexually abused boys and girls. Instead, he attempted to whittle the 5.6% down.”

Gruss also took issue with the inclusion of “information about scandalous behavior between consenting adults,” arguing the AG went beyond the scope of the purpose and intent of the original investigation.

The coalition countered that researchers stress any sexual contact between clergy members and congregants is inherently abusive due to the power imbalance involved.

In his statement, Gruss said the Catholic Church in the United States has strengthened safeguards over the past two decades to protect children and vulnerable adults.

“It’s clear that the Catholic Church in the United States has made significant progress over the last 20-plus years in putting safeguards in place to protect children, young people and vulnerable adults,” he said. “We must accept our personal and collective responsibility for protecting children and others and continue to remain vigilant in our response.”

The Abuse Survivors Coalition is urging anyone with information about abuse within the Diocese of Saginaw to contact the Attorney General’s investigation hotline at 844-324-3374 or email aginvestigations@michigan.gov.

The Diocese of Saginaw also encourages survivors of sexual abuse by church representatives to contact its Victim Assistance Coordinator at 989-797-6682, email victim.assistance@diosag.org, or write to: Diocese of Saginaw, Attn: Victim Assistance Coordinator, 5800 Weiss St., Saginaw, MI 48603.

——

Sophie Vogelmann can be reached at 906-786-2021 or svogelmann@dailypress.net.