A report just released, commissioned by the Catholic Diocese of Lansing, states that the Church failed to keep parishioners safe from a priest abusing his power and sexually assaulting at least two young men. Patrick Egan sexually assaulted a man in his 20s during a Church boxing session in the 1990s, which he reported to the Church. However, the Lansing Diocese failed to properly investigate when the survivor made his disclosure in 2003. Later, in 2014 Patrick Egan sexually assaulted a second young man during a boxing session at the Church.

According to the report (the Catholic Church hired their own lawyers to conduct), Patrick Egan’s “priestly faculties” have been revoked, “essentially removing him from the Diocese of Lansing.” The Lansing State Journal reports the Lansing Diocese has requested Egan return to the Diocese of Westminster, England, where he originates.

The Catholic Church claims to want to show transparency, accountability, and justice for survivors. But this story proves they have once again betrayed the public trust and failed to keep parishioners safe. Passing the trash, and shipping credibly accused priests from one Diocese to another hurts our communities and often, our children. The Catholic Church’s practice of doing so is being investigated by the Associated Press and various Attorneys General offices across the county, including Michigan, Pennsylvania, and Colorado.

More and more states are changing statute of limitation laws to allow survivors to file lawsuits to hold offenders accountable for childhood sexual assault. All people of Michigan should demand Michigan follow suit. Michigan survivors deserve justice, accountability and real transparency from the Catholic Church. The Church has shown it cannot be trusted to institute these reforms on their own. Grewal Law stands with survivors and allies to fight this fight.