Michigan AG Investigation Continues to Demonstrate the Importance of Secular Oversight as another Catholic Priest Comes Under Investigation

Thanks to the work of Michigan’s Attorney General and her team, another Catholic priest is under investigation and has been temporarily removed from his position.

While we hope that no one was abused, the fact that such an investigation is ongoing means that something occurred to generate a complaint to the A.G.'s office. We hope that those who initiated the complaint against Fr. Shaun Lowery are receiving the support and help they need and that the Diocese of Lansing is ready to support any other victims who may come forward.

Catholic officials in Lansing should also be sure to post the information about the ongoing investigation on both their diocesan website and in all parish bulletins, but especially those at the locations where Fr. Lowery worked during his career. These postings should include the contact information for the A.G.’s office and the specific team that is working on this investigation. There should also be a call for all those who experienced, saw, or suspected wrongdoing, whether by Fr. Lowery or others, to contact these secular authorities.

We once again applaud A.G. Dana Nessel and her team for their steadfast work on behalf of survivors and their communities. The work done in Michigan is a model for other states and we hope that other attorneys general around the country are inspired by A.G. Nessel’s success and will initiate investigations of their own.

CONTACT: Zach Hiner, SNAP Executive Director ([email protected], 517-974-9009)

(SNAP, the Survivors Network, has been providing support for victims of sexual abuse in institutional settings for 30 years. We have more than 25,000 survivors and supporters in our network. Our website is SNAPnetwork.org)