Michigan Catholic Diocese has deemed allegations of child sexual abuse against Bishop James Sullivan as credible; SNAP responds
“Following investigation and review, the Diocese of Lansing has found two allegations against the late Bishop James Sullivan to be credible,” the spokesman for the Diocese said today. The accusations stemmed from the mid-1960s when then-Father Sullivan resided at the Church of the Resurrection Parish in Lansing.
This development illustrates how important it is for victims to report sex crimes to secular authorities, regardless of how long ago they occurred. We commend the Michigan Attorney General’s office for opening an investigation into clergy sexual abuse which resulted in an accusation against the Bishop being reported. This information was passed along to the Lansing Diocese and prodded it to launch its own probe. We are confident that the information given to secular authorities played a significant role in the Diocese's internal investigation.
However, we must add that we feel today’s announcement is long overdue. The news comes as no surprise to our Network. SNAP asked in September of 2019 why the Diocese of Lansing had not included Bishop Sullivan on its list of abusers. At the time, the Bishop and 5 others were already named on the database maintained by the independent watchdog group BishopAccountability.org. We also noted in 2019 that Diocesan officials neglected to provide other critical information on their list, such as when they first received allegations of abuse and how those allegations were handled. This data would have provided a much clearer picture of what happened in the past. We hope the Diocese of Lansing will now decide to reveal such information to show accountability and responsibility for the lifelong harm caused to so many victims.
We applaud the brave survivors who spoke out about their abuse at the hands of Bishop Sullivan. Without their courage and the support of the Michigan AG, the Diocese might never have finally admitted that the Bishop hurt children. We encourage any victims who may still be suffering in silence to find the bravery to come forward, make a report to local police and AG Dana Nessel’s hotline (1-844-324-3374), and find support and healing from trusted friends, therapists, or support groups like ours.
Winter Appeal 2023
To our friends,
2023 has been a long year with many ups and downs for us all. As we close out the year, we at SNAP hope that you are feeling like you are on your way to being healthy, fulfilled, and happy. This past year has brought both successes and challenges. Thanks to the support you have shown in the past, we’ve been able to celebrate the good days and weather the stormy ones. Now, we are once again asking for your support as we work to support survivors new and old as we ‘Move SNAP Forward.’
At SNAP we are proud to have hosted a very well-attended conference in August 2023. This event allowed us to gather friends, survivors, advocates, and allies for a weekend of camaraderie and connection. We were so happy to be able to welcome many first-time attendees to gather in person and are already looking forward to the next conference.
To strengthen our movement for justice, healing, and prevention, SNAP will be expanding our peer support and providing more volunteer opportunities in the coming year. Through this great work, we are ensuring survivor voices are represented as we work for significant change that will benefit children and survivors.
Right now, survivors worldwide are getting the help they need from SNAP, and more and more reach out to us daily, but we need your help to keep those programs going and get our volunteers the training they need to thrive.
Your tax-deductible gift to SNAP can help offset the cost of our important mission. If you are not in a position to contribute, you can still support us by sharing this letter with those who can. As we continue to fight for survivors across the globe, your donation or sharing the great work SNAP does will help us continue our work to protect the vulnerable, heal the wounded, and prevent abuse.
Your donation ensures SNAP will be there for those who need us more than ever!
Warmly,
Michael W. McDonnell, C.P.S.
Interim Executive Director
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