Priest abuse: Illinois, Florida, Missouri, New York looking into Catholic church

By Ed Mahon
York Daily Record
August 27, 2018

https://www.pnj.com/story/news/2018/08/27/priest-abuse-illinois-missouri-florida-new-york-investigate-catholic-church-child-sexual-assault/1108668002/

Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi listens to a report of the investigation of Dozier reform school during a cabinet meeting at the state Capitol, Thursday, Jan. 21, 2016, in Tallahassee, Fla. Photo by STEVE CANNON

Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan is seen in this file photo. Photo by Spencer Green

Acting New York state Attorney General Barbara D. Underwood speaks to Legislative leaders interviewing her for the Office of the Attorney General after former Attorney General Eric Schneiderman resigned amid domestic abuse allegations Tuesday, May 15, 2018, in Albany, N.Y. Photo by Hans Pennink

The most Reverend Robert J. Carlson, Archbishop of St. Louis, presents Bishop Edward Matthew Rice with his crozier. Bishop Edward Matthew Rice is installed as the Seventh Bishop of Springfield-Cape Girardeau at St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Catholic Church on Wednesday, June 1, 2016.

Josh Hawley Photo by Jason Rosenbaum

Prosecutors in Illinois, Florida, Missouri and New York are considering or pursuing investigations into Catholic dioceses.

The moves come on the heels of a Pennsylvania grand jury report that described more than 300 "predator priests" and more than 1,000 victims in six Roman Catholic dioceses in the state.

Members of the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests have said formal investigations are necessary in every state.

“We find in Pennsylvania that the church hierarchy will only report child sex abuse by …  clergy when forced to by outside agencies like a grand jury,” the organization said in a news release.

In many states, prosecutors don't have the same authority to convene the type of statewide grand jury that was used in Pennsylvania. But prosecutors are looking into partnerships.

Here's a look.

 “In Florida, jurisdiction is different, and these matters are typically handled by the 20 elected state attorneys, however, my Statewide Prosecutor is reaching out to all of the state attorneys to explore the matter," Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi said in a statement in response to questions from the York Daily Record/Sunday News.

The Florida Conference of Catholic Bishops had no comment on Bondi's statement, a spokeswoman said.

R.J. Larizza, a state attorney and president of the Florida Prosecuting Attorneys Association, said he hasn't personally discussed the issue with Bondi's office.

"If the attorney general requests our assistance, typically, we’re going to do everything we can to assist," Larizza said.

On Aug. 23, Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan put out a statement, saying that the "Catholic Church has a moral obligation to provide its parishioners and the public a complete and accurate accounting of all sexually inappropriate behavior involving priests in Illinois."

The Pennsylvania grand jury report identified at least seven priests with connection to Illinois, Madigan said.

She said the Chicago Archdiocese agreed to meet with her. 

"I plan to reach out to the other dioceses in Illinois to have the same conversation and expect the bishops will agree and cooperate fully. If not, I will work with states' attorneys and law enforcement throughout Illinois to investigate," Madigan said.

In a statement, the executive director for the Catholic Conference of Illinois said that, since 2002, the six Catholic dioceses there have followed the Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People established that year by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops.

"We look forward to working with Attorney General Madigan on these inquiries," said Robert Gilligan of the Catholic Conference of Illinois.

On Aug. 16, a spokeswoman for the office said Attorney General Barbara Underwood directed her criminal division to reach out to local district attorneys to establish a potential partnership. 

Those local attorneys have the power to convene a grand jury for this type of investigation, said office spokeswoman Amy Spitalnick.

"Victims in New York deserve to be heard as well," said Spitalnick. 

The president of the District Attorneys Association of the State of New York has expressed support for such a partnership, according to the New York Daily News.

Dennis Poust, a spokesman for the New York State Catholic Conference, said Catholic dioceses in the state have been cooperating with local district attorneys whenever a new allegation is brought, no matter how long ago it occurred.

The dioceses will continue to cooperate, Poust said. He also suggested broadening the investigation to "include other public, religious and not-for-profit institutions as well."

On Aug. 23, Missouri Attorney General Josh Hawley said he had launched an independent review of the Archdiocese of St. Louis. 

And the bishop for the archdiocese, Robert J. Carlson, invited Hawley's office to review its files. Carlson said that while he has been in the archdiocese, it "has always taken the protection of children and youth as one of our highest priorities."In a letter to the archdiocese, Hawley said he anticipated that prosecutors would review documents and interview potential victims and witnesses to acts of alleged abuse.

The website for the Missouri Attorney General has a special section for clergy abuse resources that, among other things, says the "jurisdiction to formally investigate alleged criminal activity of this nature lies with local law enforcement, not the Attorney General."

The three other dioceses in Missouri also agreed to cooperate with a review of their files by the attorney general's office, according to the Missouri Catholic Conference.

During a Friday news conference, Bishop W. Shawn McKnight of the Diocese of Jefferson City said transparency benefits everyone, including survivors of abuse, the faithful and good clergy members.

“I see the attorney general’s offer of doing an investigation as an opportunity to have a very credible report that the people and the wider community can accept," McKnight said.

The YDR heard back from a few dozen attorney general offices by early Monday afternoon. Some said they don't confirm or deny the existence of investigations, as a matter of policy. 

Others said their office didn't have the authority to do the type of investigation that Pennsylvania did.

Dan Tierney, a spokesman for the attorney general's office in Ohio, said his office would need a request from a local prosecutor to form a grand jury the way Pennsylvania did. 

"To date, we have never been requested by any local authority to empanel such an investigative grand jury or to open any such criminal investigation on this matter," Tierney said.

Bill Donohue, president of the Catholic League, which says its mission is to defend the church from "slanderous assaults," has criticized calls for grand jury investigations in all states. 

"All Catholics, beginning with the bishops, should resist calls for full disclosure that are not being demanded of every other institution, religious and secular," he said in a statement Monday. 

Meanwhile, some people are pushing for a national investigation.

Frank Burns, a Democratic state representative in Pennsylvania, said he plans to introduce a resolution urging the United States Attorney General to immediately initiate a comprehensive investigation into allegations of child sexual abuse within the Catholic Church.

"We cannot trust that attorneys general in other states will have the political will or legal wherewithal to undertake an investigation of this magnitude on their own," Burns said in a memo to fellow House members.

The U.S. Department of Justice declined to comment.