He also spent nearly $1 million on private jets and over $660,000 on airfare and hotels during his 13 years as Bishop of Wheeling-Charleston. He often stayed in luxury accommodations on both work trips and personal vacations, and gave large cash gifts to high-ranking Church leaders, using diocesan funds.
According to Brennan's letter, Bransfield was required by the Vatican to "make a public apology to the people of the Wheeling-Charleston Diocese for the scandal he created. He is urged as well to apologize privately to certain individuals who reported abuse and harassment."
Brennan said that Bransfield had also been ordered to repay his former diocese $441,000 "for unauthorized benefits received from diocesan resources," confirmed he had done so, and said the funds "will be added to those already set aside by the sale of his former residence for assistance to victims of abuse."
Brennan also confirmed that Bransfield will continue to receive $2,250 in a monthly stipend, in line with the amount recommended by the USCCB for retired bishops, and would still be covered by the diocesan health insurance plan.
"However," Brennan wrote, "no other benefits, such as for a secretary or travel, will be provided."
The release of the letters from both Brennan and Bransfield follows a July 28 letter in which Brennan said neither he nor the apostolic nuncio had heard anything from the Holy See for more than five months regarding his plans for Bransfield to make amends.
In his letter Thursday, Brennan thanked Pope Francis and the Congregation for Bishops for agreeing to the final terms of the settlement, and said that it accepted "in large part the outline of the amends plan I presented to Bishop Bransfield in November, 2019."
"That plan combined an insistence on restorative justice with a gesture of mercy, which is how God deals with all of us," Brennan said.
It has previously been reported that Brennan's 2019 plan included a provision that Bransfield repay nearly $800,000 to the diocese.
"I hope that the people of the Diocese of Wheeling-Charleston will see in the decision of the Congregation for Bishops a fair and reasonable resolution of this unseemly matter," said Brennan.