LAS CRUCES (NM)
The Associated Press
September 6, 2018
The New Mexico attorney general’s office wants Catholic Church officials around the state to allow it to review personnel records for any material that might be related to past or present allegations of sexual abuse.
The Diocese of Las Cruces said Wednesday it had received a letter from the office requesting the review and will cooperate.
“Having an independent authority reviewing our files can foster greater confidence in the transparency and accountability of the Diocese of Las Cruces,” Bishop Oscar Cantu said in a statement.
Letters were also sent to the Santa Fe Archdiocese and the diocese in Gallup requesting “full disclosure and transparency,” agency spokesman David Carl said.
“The Catholic Church in New Mexico needs to fully reconcile and support survivors by revealing the magnitude of sexual abuse and subsequent cover-up by Church leaders in order to restore faith and trust in the community,” Carl said.
The move to review the documents in New Mexico follows a recent grand jury report that said more than 300 Catholic priests abused at least 1,000 children over the past seven decades in six Pennsylvania dioceses. The report said senior figures in the Church hierarchy systematically covered up complaints.
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