Rapid City Diocese keeps priest from public ministry
A Rapid City priest will remain out of public ministry following a “canonical proceeding” to address an allegation he sexually abused a minor in the early 1980s, according to an early March statement from the Diocese of Rapid City.
“Given the outcome of the canonical process, as well as the collective facts of this case that are now known, including consideration of the local Church, I have determined that Fr. (Michel) Mulloy will remain out of public ministry,” Bishop Peter Muhich said in the March statement.
Mulloy, a 69-year-old from Mobridge, was Bishop-elect of Duluth when an allegation he sexually abused a minor in Faith, South Dakota in the early 1980s was brought to the church on Aug. 7, 2020. Mulloy was removed from public ministry on Aug. 24, 2020, and the South Dakota Division of Criminal Investigation and the church opened investigations.
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DCI’s investigation was placed on hold in February 2021 after it was determined the allegation was beyond the scope of the statute of limitations. The Journal reported at the time DCI would not share details of the investigation because it was beyond the statute of limitations, but it was not officially closed in case new information came forward.
“While the investigation is not closed, it is at a point where due to the statute of limitations there is nothing chargeable,” said Tim Bormann, spokesman for the Attorney General’s Office at the time. “Should any new information or allegations be forthcoming, that evidence would then be examined.”
DCI has not announced any developments in the case, and no charges were brought against Mulloy in Meade County, where the abuse was alleged.
Despite the lack of criminal charges, Mulloy's position outside public service for the foreseeable future was sealed by the Bishop’s statement.
“It was not possible to ascertain with certainty either that the allegation was substantiated or that the allegation lacks foundation,” Muhich said in his statement.
Mulloy told the Journal in a statement he is “hurt and saddened” by Muhich’s decision to keep him out of public ministry.
“My heart is broken,” Mulloy wrote. “The decision of the tribunal in Omaha was that I was not guilty of the alleged abuse. In church trials, a verdict of not guilty means that the accusation was not proven due to reasonable doubt.”
The Journal reached out to the Diocese of Rapid City to learn more about the facts and the canonical process but did not hear back.
Mulloy’s career in the church began when he was ordained in the Diocese of Sioux Falls in 1979 before becoming a priest in the Diocese of Rapid City, according to the July 2020 edition of West River Catholic.
He’s held multiple leadership positions, including serving as the leader of the diocese between July 2019 to July 2020 before Muhich was installed as bishop, the Journal previously reported.
Pope Francis appointed Mulloy to serve as the Bishop in Duluth on June 19, 2020, less than two months before the allegation, according to a news release from the Diocese. Mulloy resigned a month after the allegation while still Bishop-elect.
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The Diocese said it was the only allegation it ever received against Mulloy, who hopes he can someday return to public ministry.
“I was hoping for a reconciliation that would allow me to return to some form of the public ministry that I have loved for 44 years, for and with the people of the diocese,” Mulloy said. “However, I am bound by my vow of obedience to the bishop, and I hope he will return me to public ministry in the future.”
Although Mulloy cannot work in public ministry, the church has not defrocked him and he maintains his title as a priest.
This article originally appeared on Sioux Falls Argus Leader: Rapid City Diocese keeps priest from public ministry
