NEW YORK – The Associated Press is reporting that New York Attorney General Barbara Underwood issued subpoenas Thursday to all eight Roman Catholic dioceses in the state as part of her office’s official investigation into the church’s alleged cover up of sexual abuse allegations.
Underwood is investigating the way the Catholic Church has handled abuse allegations in New York. This comes on the heels of a Pennsylvania Attorney General report that a Grand Jury discovered 300 priests who had allegedly abused at least 1,000 victims. The Grand Jury determined the Church hid and covered up the allegations and transferred the accused priests to other churches.
The investigation is only one of several which have begun across the nation after the Pennsylvania investigation. New Jersey also issued subpoenas Thursday and the attorneys general of Illinois, Missouri and Nebraska also announced similar probes will commence.
Underwood’s office is seeking documents about any and all allegations, financial arrangements in those cases and the results of any internal church investigations.
Various Church spokesmen have said their diocese will cooperate fully with the investigation.
