CHARLOTTE (NC)
WSOC-TV
October 26, 2018
By Allison Latos
Charlotte diocese considering publishing names of priests with sexual abuse allegations
The Catholic Church is where parishioners practice their faith.
However, it’s a place of pain for victims sexually abused by priests.
After the Pennsylvania attorney general’s grand jury investigation revealed allegations against more than 300 priests, prosecutors in several states opened their own investigations.
A man who claims he was abused in the Charlotte diocese in the 1970s sent a letter to North Carolina Attorney General Josh Stein, urging him to open an investigation.
“I was repeatedly sexually assaulted by a priest,” the letter said. “I’m urging your office to open an investigation.”
Stein told Channel 9 that North Carolina law limits what he can do.
Prosecutors in North Carolina do not have the same investigative grand jury authority they have in Pennsylvania.
Stein said it’s up to local district attorneys to prosecute cases unless they refer them to his office.
He thinks lawmakers should broaden prosecutors’ powers.
“We also need to close a loophole in our law that requires people to report suspected child abuse,” Stein said. “Right now, it is only limited to parents and caregivers. It does not cover people in positions of trust.”
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