The New York Attorney General’s office on Thursday reportedly subpoenaed all eight of the state’s Roman Catholic dioceses, as it escalates a major investigation into any allegations into sex crimes against children committed and covered up by priests.
The civil subpoenas, issued by New York Attorney General Barbara Underwood, request documents related to sexual abuse accusations, possible payments made to victims, and potential findings of any internal church probes, according to the Associated Press.
Underwood also announced Thursday that a telephone hotline and an online website had been set up to gather victim complaints and witness statements.
The attorney general’s Charities Bureau has been conducting a civil inquiry into whether the nonprofit dioceses tried to hide sexual misconduct by members of the clergy, while her criminal division and district attorneys were looking into whether grand juries may be impaneled to examine any wrongdoing, the Washington Post reported.
An Archdiocese of New York spokesperson told the Associated Press the church was “ready and eager” to collaborate with Underwood, despite saying it had yet to receive a subpoena.
“Since 2002, the archdiocese has shared with its 10 District Attorneys all information they have sought concerning allegations of sexual abuse of minors, and has established excellent working relationships with each of them,” the statement said. “Not only do we provide any information they seek, they also notify us as well when they learn of an allegation of abuse, so that, even if they cannot bring criminal charges, we might investigate and remove from ministry any cleric who has a credible and substantiated allegation of abuse.”
The investigation follows the release in August of a damning 1,356-page Pennsylvania grand jury report, which detailed accusations of molestation from more than 1,000 children dating back to the 1950s at the hands of 300-plus “predator” Catholic priests across the state.
“The PA grand jury report exposed incredibly disturbing, depraved acts by Catholic clergy, assisted by a culture of secrecy and cover ups in the dioceses,” Underwood wrote on Twitter. “Victims in NY deserve to be heard as well. We are going to do everything in our power to bring them the justice they deserve.”
The PA grand jury report exposed incredibly disturbing, depraved acts by Catholic clergy, assisted by a culture of secrecy and cover ups in the dioceses.
Victims in NY deserve to be heard as well. We are going to do everything in our power to bring them the justice they deserve.
— NY AG Underwood (@NewYorkStateAG) September 6, 2018
New Jersey announced a task force into similar issues shortly after Underwood’s announcement, according to the New York Times.
