Bay County Scanner Feed

Live Public Safety Communications from Bay City, Michigan and Surrounding Areas

image
(2/5/2019) - While the Saginaw Diocese awaits a new full-time leader the man in charge is making changes. The former judge appointed to oversee abuse allegations is out of a job. Interim Bishop Walter Hurley is now going to be handling the duties of the former judge. Hurley says he's handled other sexual allegations against priests before. Hurley gave ABC 12 an update of where they stand on the investigation with Father Deland as he awaits trial. "That is totally in the hands of law enforcement, and we have no involvement in that what so ever,” Hurley said. Before Bishop Joseph Cistone's passing the Saginaw bishop appointed Judge Michael Talbot to oversee any alleged sexual misconduct by clergy. Recently Bishop Walter Hurley removed Talbot from that position. "We respect the legal process and cooperate in any way we can," Hurley said. Hurley has been the interim shepherd of the Diocese of Saginaw for several months. Pope Francis appointed the former Grand Rapids Bishop after the death of Bishop Joseph Cistone in mid-October. Hurley says he's made suggestions on a replacement, but there is no timeline for the Pope to name a new bishop. "With all that is happening in the church today we just don't know where we are in that process,” Hurley said. As Hurley waits for a call from the Rome, he's made changes in one Bay City parish. Hurley has removed Father Eddie Dwyer from his assignment at the Our Lady of Peace. "The parish was divided in a significant way,” Hurley said. Hurley says he received a stack of letters showing the division at the church. "Often they were associated with liturgy sometimes church governance, but there was clearly two camps if you will, and we needed to look at it and come at it with some kind of workable of solution,” Hurley said. The bishop says he wants to work on a new place for the Our Lady of Peace priest somewhere else. "He is a priest in good standing,” Hurley said. The interim bishop has also appointed two new members to the Diocesan Review Board. They will work to addressing the issues of misconduct that might come up before them.

Read more https://www.abc12.com/content/news/Changes-within-the-Diocese-of-Saginaw--505398171.html