With Michael Bransfield issuing a six-sentence letter of apology to the Diocese of Wheeling-Charleston last weekend for years of sexual and financial abuse, the church hopes to consider the matter closed. The marks from his tumultuous term of office, however, remain. Bransfield issued his statement in a letter dated Aug. 15 claiming that he did … Read more
This morning I had planned to write about the disgraceful excuse for an “apology” proffered by a former bishop. But I see that Christopher Altieri, writing in the Catholic Herald has beaten me to the punch: Let’s be clear about two things: Bishop Michael J. Bransfield—improbably emeritus of the Diocese of Wheeling Charleston—did not apologize; … Read more
A bishop the Vatican ordered to make amends for sexual abuse and financial malfeasance is nowhere to be found, and the Vatican appears unconcerned. Local media reported on Monday that Bp. Michael Bransfield, the disgraced former bishop of Wheeling-Charleston, has not agreed to a proposed plan of amends, nor has he been in communication with any U.S. church official since … Read more
A group called Lay Catholic Voices for Change has sent a letter to Bishop Mark Brennan of Wheeling-Charleston, West Virginia, asking that the diocese investigate charges of sex abuse of minors by former Bishop Michael Bransfield. The letter also asked that Bransfield be ordered not to use the title bishop emeritus to describe himself. Bransfield … Read more
One more reason to give thanks… Please understand the significance of this this news story. For the first time, an American bishop has denounced his predecessor for gross misconduct, demanded an apology, and sought restitution for victims from the offending prelate. Bishop Mark Brennan of Wheeling-Charleston, West Virginia, wants the previous leader of that diocese, … Read more
Bishop Michael Bransfield, who resigned in disgrace last year, is being forced to pay nearly $800,000 to the diocese along with a significant drop in his monthly stipend and loss of his car (estimated total value of $1 million). In a press conference Tuesday afternoon given at the chancery office, Bp. Mark Brennan of the … Read more
The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) has canceled their invitation for Bishop Michael Bransfield, former head of the Diocese of Wheeling-Charleston, to attend their upcoming annual fall meeting due to allegations of sexual abuse and financial misconduct. Chieko Noguchi, the director of public affairs for the USCCB, confirmed that Bransfield had been disinvited from … Read more
Police in Washington are investigating an allegation that former West Virginia bishop Michael J. Bransfield inappropriately touched a 9-year-old girl during a church trip to the nation’s capital in 2012, according to a subpoena and a person familiar with the matter. The subpoena, delivered Tuesday to church officials in West Virginia, seeks any abuse complaints … Read more
New details have emerged about the lavish lifestyle enjoyed by disgraced Bishop Michael Bransfield. Bransfield spent nearly one million dollars on private jets and over $660,000 on airfare and hotels during his 13 years as bishop of his former diocese of Wheeling-Charleston. A new investigation by the Washington Post, published Sept. 12, reported that during … Read more
A lawsuit accusing the former bishop of West Virginia’s Roman Catholic diocese of molesting boys and men has been settled. The terms of the recent settlement are confidential, Wheeling-Charleston Diocese spokesman Tim Bishop said in a statement. The diocese declined further comment. A former personal altar server sued ex-Bishop Michael Bransfield and the diocese in … Read more