KALAMAZOO, MI (WTVB) – The Diocese of Kalamazoo announced Friday that they have received an allegation of sexual abuse against the retired Reverend Richard Fritz which dates back to the late 1970s and early 1980s.
The timeframe indicates the allegation took place long before Fritz began work at St. Mary’s Assumption Catholic Church in Bronson. He served at the Bronson church between 1990 and 2016.
According to a statement released by the Diocese, they said their review board which is a consultative body that is made up of laypersons with expertise in sexual abuse as well as members of the clergy deemed the allegation credible.
The news release went on to say “credible allegations are not a determination of guilt or innocence rather the term denotes that there are reasonable grounds to suspect that the abuse may have occurred.”
The accusation has been sent onto the Michigan Attorney General’s Office. The Diocese statement went on to say, “until this process is concluded, Father Fritz is not permitted to engage in public ministry (e.g. celebrate Mass or the Sacraments, or present himself as a priest in public).” To the best of their knowledge, the Diocese says they have received no additional complaints of sexual abuse against Father Fritz.
An embezzlement case against Fritz which was filed after he was accused by authorities of stealing money from two churches to buy lottery tickets was dismissed by prosecutors in St. Joseph County in July of 2017.
