In a pastoral letter posted on the archdiocese website, Weisenburger said the church also will appoint a supervisor to monitor clerics removed from ministry and coordinate with law enforcement.
The announcement comes just ahead of Weisenburger’s first anniversary as Detroit’s archbishop. He said "addressing the wounds caused by clergy sexual abuse, along with strengthening the Church’s commitment to accountability and protection” are among his most serious responsibilities as leader of the archdiocese.
The new policies arrive several months before Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel is expected to release her office's findings from a yearslong investigation into allegations of sex abuse in the Archdiocese of Detroit.
Weisenburger said files seized by the Attorney General's Office as part of that probe were recently returned, prompting a diocese review of "every known case involving clergy misconduct" dating back to the early 1920s.
The Attorney General's Office began investigating each of Michigan's seven dioceses in 2018 and since 2022, Nessel has been releasing reports on the allegations and the resulting findings. Reports on five dioceses have been released so far, the latest in December, on the Diocese of Grand Rapids.
The report on the Diocese of Saginaw is expected this spring, Nessel has said, with the Archdiocese of Detroit report to follow in December.
The investigation has led to criminal charges in 11 cases and nine convictions, authorities said. Other potential criminal cases were never pursued due to statutes of limitations, lack of evidence, suspect deaths and victims' unwillingness to appear in court, officials have said.
“As we continue to cooperate fully with the Attorney General’s Task Force, it is my hope that our own careful review of these files will allow us to respond with transparency and justice when the Attorney General’s report is published,” Weisenburger said.
New policies outlined
The new fingerprinting requirement applies not just to clergy, but also any archdiocese educators, employees and volunteers who work directly with children or vulnerable adults.
“Through participation in state and federal databases, we will receive notification of subsequent arrests of anyone in our system who has been fingerprinted, enabling timely and appropriate action when necessary,” the archbishop said in his letter.
Weisenburger said about 225 priests and staff already have been fingerprinted as part of the initiative, including himself.
According to its website, the archdiocese oversees 209 parishes in Wayne, Oakland, Macomb, Monroe, St. Clair and Lapeer counties, as well as 80 grade schools and high schools that instruct some 27,485 students. There are 483 priests and 178 deacons associated with the diocese.
Weisenburger said he also will appoint a supervisor who will "monitor clerics removed from ministry" and coordinate with law enforcement to ensure they comply with restrictions.
Additionally, men enrolled at the archdiocese's Sacred Heart Major Seminary will undergo "enhanced training" to give them a "deeper understanding of the abuse crisis, its history, and the tools needed to prevent it from happening again," the pastoral letter said.
Training will include reviews of the reports issued by the Attorney General's Office as well as records from other law enforcement agencies.
Weisenburger also has directed the archdiocese to "expand its reserves" dedicated to providing support for past victims of abuse in the church, though the letter does not assign a monetary value to those reserves.
“… The roles of investigation and victim assistance have been separated, with Catholic Charities of Michigan, the charitable extension of the Archdiocese of Detroit, now entrusted with responsibility for victim assistance,” Weisenburger said.