New York’s attorney general on Thursday subpoenaed all Roman Catholic dioceses in the state as part of a probe into sexual abuse in the Church, a law-enforcement source revealed to the Associated Press.
Attorney General Barbara Underwood reportedly subpoenaed the state’s eight dioceses for any documents relating to abuse allegations, payments to victims, and results of internal Church investigations. She has also called on district attorneys to investigate and, if necessary, prosecute any crimes related to abuse in the Church.
“We have launched a civil investigation into how the Catholic Church reviewed & potentially covered up allegations of extensive sexual abuse in NY,” Underwood tweeted on Thursday.
https://twitter.com/NewYorkStateAG/status/1037745937408552960
Church officials have agreed to cooperate with the investigation, the AP said.
This move comes a few weeks after a Pennsylvania grand-jury report found that more than 1,000 children had been abused by nearly 300 Catholic priests over the past 70 years.
“The Pennsylvania grand jury report shined a light on incredibly disturbing and depraved acts by Catholic clergy, assisted by a culture of secrecy and cover ups in the dioceses. Victims in New York deserve to be heard as well — and we are going to do everything in our power to bring them the justice they deserve,” Underwood said in a statement released on Thursday.
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