Allen Vigneron

{{Infobox Christian leader

| honorific-prefix = His Excellency, The Most Reverend

| name = Allen Henry Vigneron

| bishop_of = Archbishop Emeritus of Detroit
Ecclesiastical Superior of the Cayman Islands

| image = Most Reverend Allen Henry Vigneron, Archbishop of Detroit.jpg

| image_size =

| caption =

| archdiocese = Detroit

| appointed = January 5, 2009

| enthroned = January 28, 2009

| retired = February 11, 2025

| predecessor = Adam Maida

| successor = Edward Weisenburger

| ordination = July 26, 1975

| ordained_by = John Francis Dearden

| consecration = July 9, 1996

| consecrated_by = Adam Maida, James Aloysius Hickey, and Edmund Szoka

| other_post = Ecclesiastical Superior of the Cayman Islands
Chairman
Board President,

| previous_post = {{bulleted list| Bishop of Oakland (2003–2009) | Auxiliary Bishop of Detroit and Titular Bishop of Sault Sainte Marie (1996–2003) | Vice president of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (2019–2022)}}

| birth_name =

| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1948|10|21}}

| birth_place = Mount Clemens, Michigan, US

| death_date =

| death_place =

| nationality =

| religion = Roman Catholic Church

| motto = Aspicientes in Iesum
(Eyes fixed on Jesus)

| coat_of_arms =

}}

{{Infobox bishopstyles

| name= Allen Henry Vigneron

| dipstyle=

| offstyle=Your Excellency

| relstyle=Archbishop

| image = Coat of arms of Allen Henry Vigneron(Detroit).jpg

| image_size = 200px

}}

{{Ordination

| ordained deacon by =

| date of diaconal ordination =

| place of diaconal ordination =

| ordained priest by =

| date of priestly ordination =

| place of priestly ordination =

| consecrated by = Adam Maida

| co-consecrators =

| date of consecration = July 9, 1996

| place of consecration =

| elevated by =

| date of elevation =

| sources =

| bishop 1 = Bernard Hebda

| consecration date 1 = December 1, 2009

| bishop 2 = Michael J. Byrnes

| consecration date 2 = May 5, 2011

| bishop 3 = Jose Arturo Cepeda Escobedo

| consecration date 3 = May 5, 2011

| bishop 4 = Donald F. Hanchon

| consecration date 4 = May 5, 2011

| bishop 5 = Paul J. Bradley

| consecration date 5 = May 5, 2011

| bishop 6 = David Walkowiak

| consecration date 6 = June 18, 2013

| bishop 7 = John Francis Doerfler

| consecration date 7 = February 11, 2014

| bishop 8 = Steven J. Raica

| consecration date 8 = August 28, 2014

| bishop 9 = Gerard William Battersby

| consecration date 9 = January 25, 2017

| bishop 10 = Robert Joseph Fisher

| consecration date 10 = January 25, 2017

}}

File:Coat of arms of Allen Henry Vigneron.svg

Allen Henry Vigneron (born October 21, 1948) is an American Catholic prelate who served as archbishop of the Archdiocese of Detroit in Michigan and ecclesiastical superior of the Cayman Islands from 2008 to 2025.

Vigneron previously served as bishop of the Diocese of Oakland in California from 2003 to 2009 and as an auxiliary bishop of Detroit from 1996 to 2003.

Biography

=Early life=

The eldest of six children, Allen Vigneron was born on October 21, 1948, in Mount Clemens, Michigan, to Elwin and Bernardine (née Kott) Vigneron. He is of French descent on his father's side and German descent on his mother's.{{cite web| url=http://www.linternaute.com/dictionnaire/fr/definition/vigneron| publisher=Le Figaro French Dictionary| title=Vigneron definition| date=6 January 2021}}

Deciding to become a priest, Vigneron entered Sacred Heart Major Seminary in Detroit. He graduated from there in 1970, receiving degrees in both philosophy and classical languages. He then furthered his studies at the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome, where he obtained a Bachelor of Sacred Theology degree in 1973.

=Priesthood=

Upon his return to Detroit, Vigneron was ordained to the priesthood for the Archdiocese of Detroit by Cardinal John Dearden on July 26, 1975, at St. Clement of Rome Church in Romeo, Michigan.{{Cite web |title=Archbishop Allen Henry Vigneron [Catholic-Hierarchy] |url=https://www.catholic-hierarchy.org/bishop/bvigneron.html |access-date=2024-09-27 |website=www.catholic-hierarchy.org}}

After his 1975 ordination, the archdiocese assigned Vigneron as an associate pastor of Our Lady Queen of Peace Parish in Harper Woods, Michigan. He later returned to Rome, obtaining his Licentiate in Sacred Theology from the Gregorian University in 1977. After coming back to Michigan, he resumed his pastoral work in suburban Detroit.

Vigneron completed his graduate studies at the Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C. He earned his Doctor of Philosophy degree in 1987 with a dissertation on the philosopher Edmund Husserl. In 1985, Vigneron was appointed professor at Sacred Heart Seminary, becoming its dean in 1988.

In 1991, Vigneron served in Rome as an official in the Vatican Secretariat of State and as adjunct instructor at the Gregorian University. He returned to Sacred Heart Seminary in 1994 as its rector. While at Sacred Heart, Vigneron removed several teachers whom he perceived as straying from church dogma. Vigneron was raised by Pope John Paul II to the rank of monsignor in 1994.{{cite news|title=Archbishop-designate Vigneron aims to defend teachings, build harmony |date=2009-01-27 |newspaper=Detroit Free Press |url=http://www.freep.com/article/20090127/NEWS05/901270373?imw=Y |access-date=2009-01-28 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090208143055/http://www.freep.com/article/20090127/NEWS05/901270373?imw=Y |archive-date=February 8, 2009 }}

Episcopate

=Auxiliary Bishop of Detroit=

On June 12, 1996, John Paul II appointed Vigneron as an auxiliary bishop of Detroit and titular bishop of Sault Sainte Marie. He was consecrated on July 9, 1996, at the Cathedral of the Most Blessed Sacrament in Detroit by Cardinal Adam Maida, with Cardinals James Hickey and Edmund Szoka serving as co-consecrators.

=Bishop of Oakland=

John Paul II named Vigneron was as coadjutor bishop of Oakland on January 10, 2003. He automatically succeeded Bishop John Cummins as the third bishop of Oakland on October 1, 2003.

While bishop, Vigneron helped lead protests against same-sex marriage.{{cite news| url=https://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/New-Oakland-bishop-called-conservative-2640528.php| title=New Oakland bishop called conservative| last=Lattin| first=Don| date=January 18, 2003| newspaper=San Francisco Chronicle}}

=Archbishop of Detroit=

Pope Benedict XVI appointed Vigneron as archbishop of Detroit on January 5, 2009, replacing Cardinal Maida.{{cite news| title=Archbishop appointed to Detroit diocese| date=January 6, 2009| url=http://www.toledoblade.com/Religion/2009/01/06/Archbishop-appointed-to-Detroit-diocese.html| last=Yonke| first=David| newspaper=The Blade| location=Toledo, Ohio| access-date=1 April 2018}} Installed on January 28, 2009, Vigneron was the first Detroit native named archbishop of Detroit.

Vigneron was elected chair of the board of trustees of Catholic University of America on June 9, 2009. He received the pallium from Benedict XVI on June 29, 2009, in a ceremony at St. Peter's Basilica in Rome.

In April 2011, Vigneron participated in an interfaith vigil at the Islamic Center of America in Dearborn, Michigan.{{cite news| url=http://www.pressandguide.com/articles/2011/04/21/news/doc4db0cf5992299756736717.txt?viewmode=2| title=Interfaith Vigil held at Islamic Center of America| newspaper=Dearborn Press & Guide| first=Alan| last=Burdziak| date=April 21, 2011| access-date=27 April 2015| archive-date=15 August 2016| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160815232239/http://www.pressandguide.com/articles/2011/04/21/news/doc4db0cf5992299756736717.txt?viewmode=2| url-status=dead}}

In May 2019, Vigneron published the pastoral note "The Day of the Lord". This note ended required Sunday sports practices and games in Catholic schools, with the aim of refocusing the sabbath on prayer, family and rest.{{cite web | url = https://www.aod.org/our-archdiocese/newsroom/news-releases/2019/may/archdiocese-of-detroit-to-reclaim-holy-day-with-shift-away-from-youth-sports-on-sundays/ | title = Archdiocese of Detroit to 'reclaim' holy day with shift away from youth sports on Sundays, seeking renewed focus on rest and family worship | date = May 15, 2019 | archive-url = https://archive.today/20190517165812/https://www.aod.org/our-archdiocese/newsroom/news-releases/2019/may/archdiocese-of-detroit-to-reclaim-holy-day-with-shift-away-from-youth-sports-on-sundays/ | archive-date = May 17, 2019 | url-status = dead | access-date = May 17, 2019 }}{{cite news | url = http://www.ncregister.com/daily-news/detroit-archdiocese-cancels-sporting-events-on-sundays | title = Detroit Archdiocese Cancels Sporting Events on Sundays | date = May 16, 2019 | journal = Ncregister.com | archive-url = https://archive.today/20190517172120/http://www.ncregister.com/daily-news/detroit-archdiocese-cancels-sporting-events-on-sundays | archive-date = May 17, 2019 | url-status = live}}

In November, 2019, Vigneron was elected vice president of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB).{{cite tweet|number=1194264801658183681|user=USCCB|title=.@DetArchbishop has been elected vice...|date=12 November 2019}} At the end of the November 2020 USCCB meeting, Bishop José Gómez, USCCB president, created a bishops' working group headed by Vigneron to formulate a strategy for dealing with the newly elected US President Joe Biden.{{Cite web |last=CNA |title=USCCB has 'nothing in the works' on Biden and Communion |url=https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/247456/usccb-has-nothing-in-the-works-on-biden-and-communion |access-date=2022-04-29 |website=Catholic News Agency |language=en}} According to the Washington Post, the group's work led to an unsuccessful effort by conservative bishops to approve a document at the June 2021 USCCB meeting that would have penalized Catholic politicians who support abortion rights for women.{{Cite news |last=Boorstein |first=Michelle |date=June 25, 2021 |title=After controversy, U.S. Catholic bishops say there will be 'no national policy on withholding Communion from politicians' |newspaper=The Washington Post |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/religion/2021/06/25/catholic-bishops-communion-biden-abortion/ |access-date=April 29, 2022}}

Vigneron announced in June 2020 that the archdiocese was restructuring 200 parishes into 60 to 80 parish groups to deal with the shortage of priests.{{Cite web |last= |title=Detroit archdiocese's parish restructuring aims for more than mergers |url=https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/44736/detroit-archdioceses-parish-restructuring-aims-for-more-than-mergers |access-date=2024-09-27 |website=Catholic News Agency |language=en}}

In December 2020, a lawsuit accused Vigernon of failing to investigate complaints of sexual abuse at Orchard Lake Schools, an educational center in the archdiocese. Several male employees had accused Reverend Miroslaw Krol. chancellor of Orchard Lakes, of making sexual advances on them. A school board member who ultimately resigned said that he tried to bring the allegations to Vigneron, also a board member. However, Vigneron allegedly refused to listen to the allegations because he said they were second-hand.{{cite news|url=https://www.detroitnews.com/story/news/local/michigan/2020/12/14/lawsuit-orchard-lake-schools-leader-sexually-abused-retaliated-against-male-employees/6537619002/|title=Lawsuit alleges Orchard Lake Schools leader sexually abused, retaliated against male employees|first=Kim|last=Kozlowski|publisher=The Detroit News|date=December 14, 2020|access-date=December 14, 2020}}{{Dead link|date=April 2025}} Ned McGrath, the archdiocese spokesman, said the archdiocese did not run Orchard Lakes and that Krol was under the jurisdiction of the Archdiocese of Newark. By February 2021, the group had finished its work, but there was uncertainty about its final report.

In March 2021, a Michigan man filed a sexual abuse lawsuit against Vigneron and the archdiocese. The plaintiff claimed to have been raped in 2010 when he was eight years-old by Aloysius Volskis, then a teacher at Bishop Kelly Catholic School in Lapeer, Michigan. Volskis allegedly told the boy that he had power with the devil and would kill his mother if the boy revealed his abuse. After a female student reported an assault by Volskis to police, he fled the country. The suit claimed that Vigneron and the archdiocese were negligent in their oversight of the school. The archdiocese had assigned Volkis to Bishop Kelly after he was accused of sexual misconduct at Divine Providence Parish in Southfield, Michigan.{{Cite web|date=2021-03-12|title=Lawsuit by Lapeer County teen alleges rape by priest in 2010, claims coverup by Archdiocese of Detroit|url=https://www.mlive.com/news/flint/2021/03/lawsuit-by-lapeer-county-teen-alleges-rape-by-priest-in-2010-claims-coverup-by-archdiocese-of-detroit.html|access-date=2021-12-30|website=mlive|language=en}}{{Cite web|date=March 11, 2021|first=Jeff|last=Hogan|title=Lapeer County teen files lawsuit alleging he was raped by a priest while a student at Bishop Kelley Catholic School|publisher=The County Press|url=https://thecountypress.mihomepaper.com/articles/lapeer-county-teen-files-lawsuit-alleging-he-was-raped-by-a-priest-while-a-student-at-bishop-kelley-catholic-school/|access-date=2021-12-30|website=thecountypress.mihomepaper.com}}

= Retirement and legacy =

On February 11, 2025, Pope Francis accepted Vigneron's retirement as archbishop of Detroit and superior of the Cayman Islands, and named Bishop Edward Weisenburger from the Diocese of Tucson to succeed him.{{Cite web |title=Rinunce e nomine, 11.02.2025 |url=https://press.vatican.va/content/salastampa/it/bollettino/pubblico/2025/02/11/0126/00257.html |access-date=2025-02-11 |website=Holy See Press Office}}{{cite web | website = US Conference of Catholic Bishops | access-date = 11 February 2025 | date = 11 February 2025 | url = https://www.usccb.org/news/2025/pope-francis-accepts-resignation-archbishop-allen-vigneron-archdiocese-detroit-appoints | title = Pope Francis Accepts Resignation of Archbishop Allen Vigneron of the Archdiocese of Detroit; Appoints Bishop Edward Weisenburger as Successor }}{{cite web | website = US Conference of Catholic Bishops | access-date = February 12, 2025 | date = February 12, 2025 | url = https://www.usccb.org/news/2025/pope-francis-accepts-resignation-archbishop-allen-vigneron-archdiocese-detroit-appoints | title = Pope Francis Accepts Resignation of Archbishop Allen Vigneron of the Archdiocese of Detroit; Appoints Bishop Edward Weisenburger as Successor }}

Viewpoints

= Abortion =

In February 2009, Vigneron compared abortion and stem-cell research to slavery and racism.

= LGBT rights =

In 2013, Vigneron stated that Catholics who supported same sex-marriage should not accept the eucharist at mass.{{Cite web |last=Warikoo |first=Niraj |title=Mich. gay marriage backers urged to skip Communion |url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2013/04/08/gay-marriage-supporters-skip-communion/2062413/ |access-date=2021-12-30 |website=USA Today |language=en-US}} In 2015, he stated that the archdiocese did not want to discourage any Catholics from receiving the eucharist. However, he said that, according to Catholic doctrine, any Catholic conscious of serious sin (such as supporting same-sex marriage) should go to a sacramental confession before receiving the eucharist.{{Cite web |last=Montemurri |first=Patricia |title=Vigneron softens tone on Communion for Catholic gay supporters |url=https://www.freep.com/story/news/local/2015/08/09/detroit-vigneron-gay-catholics-communion/31388503/ |access-date=2021-12-30 |website=Detroit Free Press |language=en-US}}

= Immigration =

In December 2015, U.S. presidential candidate Donald Trump said that, if elected, he would restrict Muslim immigration into the United States. In response, Vigneron wrote a letter to priests in the archdiocese condemning the Trump proposals:

While the Catholic Church refrains from weighing in for or against individual candidates for a particular political office, the Church does and should speak to the morality of this important and far-reaching issue of religious liberty. Especially as our political discourse addresses the very real concerns about the security of our country, our families, and our values, we need to remember that religious rights are a cornerstone of these values. Restricting or sacrificing these religious rights and liberties out of fear – instead of defending them and protecting them in the name of mutual respect and justice – is a rationalization which fractures the very foundation of morality on which we stand. "{{cite press release |title=Archbishop Vigneron on Muslim Immigration, Religious Liberty |url=http://www.aod.org/our-archdiocese/newsroom/statements/2015/december/archbishop-vigneron-on-muslim-immigration-and-religious-liberty/ |publisher=Archdiocese of Detroit |date=December 15, 2015 |access-date=1 April 2018}}