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| Father Michel J. Mulloy |
The person chosen by Pope Francis to become Bishop of Duluth, Minnesota, Father Michel J. Mulloy, has resigned before taking up the post, amid allegations that he sexually abused a minor in Rapid City, in the early 1980s.
Father Mulloy, a South Dakota native, was ordained in 1979, according to a post on the website of the Diocese of Sioux Falls announcing his appointment as a bishop. His first assignment was at the Cathedral of Our Lady of Perpetual Help in Rapid City from 1979 to 1981. He was then assigned to Christ the King Parish in Sioux Falls and held positions at several other parishes in South Dakota during the 1980s.
According to the New York Times:
Mulloy was due to take up his post as Bishop of Duluth, a dicocese in Northeast Minnesota with some 92 parishes and a Catholic population of about 56,000, on October 1st this year. Father Bissonette will continue to serve as diocesan administrator until the pope appoints a new bishop.
The allegation came after the the Vatican did an about turn and told bishops around the world to report allegations of clerical sexual abuse to the local law enforcement agencies. This came after years of telling the world's bishops that it would be an act of betrayal to inform the local law enforcement agencies because it would bring the church into disrepute, so allegations should be handled internally and under the pretext of diplomatic immunity as representatives of a foreign state (The Vatican City is a recognised state in its own right and claims its priests have diplomatic immunity).
However, the recommendation was just that - a recommendation and not an instruction and does not form part of Cannon Law, so still giving local bishops leeway to report or not as they see fit - even where local law requires it!
The Diocese of Rapid City in South Dakota, where Father Mulloy had been serving as diocesan administrator, was alerted about a sexual abuse allegation against him from the 1980s and commissioned an independent investigation into the allegation. Mulloy was ordered to refrain from ministry while the investigation was conducted. The result was allegedly reported to the local police, and referred to a lay-majority diocesan review panel which concluded that further investigation under Canon Law was warranted. However, the Rapid City Police Department told the New York Times that no allegation of sexual misconduct by Father MUlloy had been reported to them!
The Pope was also informed of the allegation which, according to Bishop Peter Muhich of the Rapid City Diocese, is the only allegation against Father Mulloy.
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