Detroit Archbishop Removes Three Professors in Catholic Seminary Shakeup

Sacred Heart Major Seminary in Detroit. Photo: Wikimedia Commons/CC-by-sa/3.0/Andrew Jameson

DETROIT — Archbishop Edward Weisenburger, recently appointed head of the Archdiocese of Detroit, has dismissed three veteran professors from Sacred Heart Major Seminary just months into his tenure, raising concerns among faculty and faithful over growing intolerance for theological dissent.

On July 23, Ralph Martin and Eduardo Echeverria were let go, followed two days later by canon law scholar Dr. Edward Peters. All three had decades of service at the seminary and were known for their orthodox views and outspoken critiques of theological ambiguities in the pontificate of Pope Francis - particularly surrounding the apostolic exhortation Amoris Laetitia and its perceived openness to communion for those living in adultery without contrition.

Archbishop Weisenburger, appointed in February 2025, previously served as Bishop of Tucson, where he supported strict pandemic mandates and expressed controversial views on homosexuality. In June, he restricted both the Traditional Latin Mass and ad orientem Novus Ordo liturgies in Detroit.

Ralph Martin confirmed his dismissal in a statement to LifeSiteNews, noting that when he asked for a reason, the archbishop referenced unspecified concerns about Martin’s theological views but declined to elaborate.

“It's outrageous and extremely damaging to the seminary and to the Church,” said Dr. Janet Smith, a fellow professor. “It's clear that the dismantling of Sacred Heart Seminary has begun - and it’s a very brutal beginning.”

The seminary, which serves candidates from multiple U.S. and international dioceses, has long been considered a stronghold of traditional Catholic teaching.

Previously, UOJ reported that the German Bishops’ Conference is developing a document to prevent “discrimination” against homosexual and transgender students in schools. A local Catholic news source reported that "full normalization of homosexuality, bisexuality, and transgenderism has been proposed."

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