WHEELING — With Michael Bransfield issuing a six-sentence letter of apology to the Diocese of Wheeling-Charleston last weekend for years of alleged sexual and financial abuse, the church hopes to consider the matter closed. The marks from his tumultuous term of office, however, ...
It’s time to move on. Former Roman Catholic bishop Michael J. Bransfield is not worth a single second more of aggravation. Bransfield was booted out of his position as leader of the church’s Diocese of Wheeling-Charleston in 2018. That happened after his wild spending and sexual harassment came to light. As we reported Thursday, the Vatican approved a list of “amends” the church required of Bransfield. He had to repay $441,000 for “unauthorized” benefits received through his position. There were other, less stiff, financial requirements. Bransfield also was required to ...
WHEELING — When Michael Bransfield responded to a 60-page investigation into his sexual and financial impropriety with a three-paragraph statement of apology, a support network for victims of clerical abuse found the disgraced bishop’s act of contrition wanting. Bransfield was accused of ...
Read the 60-page Bransfield report by clicking here. Read Bransfield's apology letter by clicking here. WHEELING — Michael Bransfield is apologizing for “any scandal or wonderment” he caused during his reign as bishop of the Diocese of Wheeling-Charleston in which he was accused of ...
The amends accepted by The Vatican today for Michael Bransfield stem from the findings of what’s become known as the “Bransfield Report,” which looked deeply into the former bishop’s personal conduct and his personal spending habits while in West Virginia. Here are some of the key findings of the report: * “During the period of his episcopacy, the operating expenses of the diocese exceeded its income by $187 million, causing the bishop to draw from the diocese’s endowment and mineral rights account to make up the deficit and pay for various projects initiated by the bishop. ...
Editor’s note: Below is the entirety of Michael Bransfield’s apology to the faithful of the Diocese of Wheeling-Charleston. Letter to the Faithful I am writing to apologize for any scandal or wonderment caused by words or actions attributed to me during my tenure as bishop of the Wheeling-Charleston Diocese. First, during my tenure I was reimbursed for certain expenditures that have been called into question as excessive, and I have been advised that I should reimburse a certain amount of money to the Diocese. I have now done so even though I believed that such reimbursements to ...
