NEW ORLEANS (LA)
The Times-Picayune
November 8, 2018
By Julia O’Donoghue
Louisiana Attorney General Jeff Landry is turning complaints he receives about Catholic clergy sexual misconduct over to local sheriffs, documents received through a public records request show, even as attorneys general in 13 states and the District of Columbia are actively pursuing investigations.
Landry says he doesn’t have the authority or resources to investigate the matter himself.
“If you are a victim or a legally mandated reporter, we urge you to contact your local law enforcement agency. If our office may assist anyone in connecting them to the proper agency, please call the Louisiana Bureau of Investigation at 800-256-4506,” Ruth Wisher, the attorney general’s spokeswoman, wrote in a statement Friday (Nov. 2) accompanying the release of the public records.
From Aug. 28 to Sept. 25, six individuals reached out to Landry about alleged Catholic clergy sexual abuse of minors or its coverup. Four were bringing specific cases of abuse to his office’s attention, asking for assistance or an investigation. Two others, identifying as victims, asked Landry to looking into clergy sexual abuse more broadly and volunteered to testify in court proceedings, according to the records.
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