Catholic Church Abuse Investigated By NY Attorney General

NEW YORK — The New York Attorney General's Office has launched an investigation into whether the Catholic Church covered up accusations of sexual abuse in the state.

The civil investigation by the office's Charities Bureau is examining how the state's eight Catholic dioceses and other church bodies reviewed and possibly concealed allegations of "extensive" abuse of children, officials announced Thursday.

The office issued subpoenas Thursday to all eight dioceses, including the Archdiocese of New York, seeking records related to the findings of internal church investigations, payments to victims or abuse allegations, the Associated Press reported.

News of the New York probe comes on the heels of a Pennsylvania grand jury report issued last month that accused 300 priests there of sexually abusing more than 1,000 children.

"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," Attorney General Barbara Underwood said in a statement. "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."

The AG's office has also established a hotline for victims of sexual abuse by clergy. Submitted allegations from victims or anyone else with information will be reviewed by an investigator, officials said.

Many cases may fall outside the state's relevant statute of limitations and therefore could not be prosecuted, officials said. But Underwood's office encouraged victims to come forward anyway, as any information will help in "understanding and reforming" the church's institutional approach.

The AG's office also said its Criminal Division wants to work with local district attorneys to investigate and prosecute any related crimes that are still within the statute of limitations.

Victims can only seek criminal charges for most kinds of abuse until age 23, though there's no time limit for some serious child sex crimes that occurred in or after 2001, Underwood's office said.

As of Nov. 30, the Archdiocese of New York's victims compensation fund had paid more than $40 million to 189 people who were sexually abused by clergy.

New Yorkers can call the attorney general's hotline at 1-800-771-7755 or file complaints online at ag.ny.gov/ClergyAbuse.

(Lead image: St. Patrick's Cathedral is seen in Midtown Manhattan. Photo from Shutterstock)