Will more states follow Pennsylvania's lead and investigate priest sexual abuse? Here's what they say

In wake of Pennsylvania's sweeping and landmark investigation into Catholic clergy members' sexual abuse of minors, some people want to see every Roman Catholic diocese in the country receive the same level of scrutiny.

One lawmaker has two reasons: Pennsylvania state Rep. Mark Rozzi, a Democrat from Muhlenburg Township, was abused by a priest in the Allentown Diocese when he was a child.

"I would love to see that happen," Rozzi said of 50 states' worth of investigations in an interview with WHYY-FM Philadelphia, a day after Pennsylvania's nearly 900-page grand jury report was released.

Members of the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests also have called for every state’s attorney general to follow Pennsylvania's lead and launch formal investigations into how U.S. bishops deal with victims and predator priests.

► Aug. 28:Pope says he'll speed appeal of archbishop accused of child sex abuse
► Aug. 28:Prosecutor: Vatican knew about priest abuse cover-up in Pennsylvania
► Aug. 26:Ex-Vatican diplomat calls on pope to resign over sex abuse scandal

“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.

The Aug. 14 grand jury report, which covered six of Pennsylvania's eight dioceses, was actually the third grand jury investigation of the Catholic Church in the state: A 2005 report on the Philadelphia Archdiocese spans 424 pages and identified more than 60 priests. A 2016 report on the Altoona-Johnstown Diocese is almost 150 pages and named about 50 abusers.

In the past two weeks, attorneys general in Florida, Illinois, Missouri and New York have publicly said they are pursuing or considering investigations. But several hurdles stand in the way of a nationwide effort.

► Aug. 26:When she reported abuse by a priest, Catholic Church investigated her
► Aug. 25:In Ireland, Pope Francis meets with Catholic Church sex abuse survivors

The York (Pa.) Daily Record/Sunday News reached out to the office of attorney general in every state to ask their plans.

Some said they could neither confirm nor deny an investigation. But many said they lack the powerful tools that Pennsylvania used.

They cannot convene a statewide grand jury that has the ability to subpoena documents and compel current and former church officials to answer questions under oath. And a number of spokespeople for the office of attorney general said they would need a local law enforcement agency to refer a case to them.

Here is a state-by-state look:

Alabama

The attorney general's office does not comment about the possibility of an investigation, according to office spokeswoman Joy Patterson.

Alaska

Any investigation would be confidential, so the office can provide no information, a department spokesperson said.

Arizona

“Pennsylvania’s grand jury report is extremely troubling and provides a sobering reminder of the exhaustive investigation former Maricopa County Attorney Rick Romley conducted of the Phoenix Diocese more than 15 years ago," said Katie Conner, a spokeswoman for the Arizona Attorney General's Office.

The office cannot comment on possible actions of the office, but if similar allegations exist in Arizona, victims should report that to local law enforcement, she said.

A grand jury investigation that began in 2002 led to an agreement between the Diocese of Phoenix and Romley that the bishop failed to protect victims of criminal sexual misconduct, according to The Arizona Republic.

Arkansas

"As the chief law enforcement officer for the state, I will not tolerate abuse and will work with local prosecutors and the Catholic diocese to address any issues of this nature arising in Arkansas," Arkansas Attorney General Leslie Rutledge said in a statement.

The Diocese of Little Rock covers all of Arkansas' 75 counties. 

California

The office said it cannot confirm or deny any potential or ongoing investigation.

Colorado

"Our office is very concerned about protecting vulnerable Coloradans from abuse,"  spokeswoman Annie Skinner said.

She said the Colorado Attorney General's Office generally has very limited original jurisdiction, but "we are currently taking a closer look at the issue to see what role we could play in evaluating any possible concerns in Colorado."

Connecticut

Unlike in most states, the Connecticut attorney general has no jurisdiction over criminal matters and instead represents residents in civil matters and as legal counsel to state agencies.

But a spokesman for the state's Division of Criminal Justice said its agency is not considering a grand jury investigation.

"We are not aware of having received any complaints that have not been sufficiently investigated," said Mark Dupuis, a communications and legislative specialist.

Delaware

Carl Kanefsky, a spokesman for the Delaware Department of Justice, said:

"Delaware DOJ recently prosecuted a criminal case of alleged sexual abuse by a priest that occurred in the 1990s, which ended with the death of the defendant prior to resolution of the case."

►July 25:Former Delaware priest charged with child rape dies months before trial

The department will pursue any legally viable prosecution for sexual offenses but doesn't comment on pending investigations or whether a probe is in progress.

Florida

“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.

The Pennsylvania grand jury report refers to some of its predator priests moving to Florida.

Georgia

The state attorney general has limited authority on prosecutions, spokeswoman Katie Byrd said.

"Under current circumstances, these cases would be properly facilitated at the local level where an alleged incident took place," Byrd said.

Later, on Friday, Attorney General Chris Carr put out a lengthy statement, talking about how, as the attorney general and a Roman Catholic, he was “concerned and angered by continued reports of abuse in the Catholic Church.”

He encouraged people to contact their local district attorneys to report abuse, and he said his office would assist people in making contact with those local district attorney offices. And he called “on the leadership, clergy and lay members of the Catholic Church in Georgia to unwaveringly commit to a new day of transparency and openness to solve this crisis, allow victims to truly heal, and ensure that nothing like this occurs again.”

Hawaii

Hawaii law does not allow for statewide grand jury investigations, according to a response from First Deputy Attorney General Dana Viola. The office said:

The Hawaii attorney general and the Honolulu prosecutor will investigate any allegation of sexual assault in the first degree, sexual assault in the second degree, or continuous assault of a minor under the age of 14 years, regardless of when these assaults occurred. ... Further, Hawaii laws were recently amended to extend the statute of limitations for civil cases alleging sexual assault.  Such victims have until April 2020 to file these civil claims.

Idaho

The Idaho Attorney General's Office referred questions to county prosecuting attorneys. Scott Graf, director of constituent affairs for the state office, said his office has limited criminal authority.

Illinois

On Aug. 23, Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan put out a statement 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 connections to Illinois, Madigan said.

"The Chicago Archdiocese has agreed to meet with me. 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," Madigan said. "If not, I will work with states' attorneys and law enforcement throughout Illinois to investigate."

Indiana

Melissa Gustafson, a spokeswoman for the Indiana Attorney General's Office, said the alleged conduct in Pennsylvania "is beyond reprehensible."

But she said any investigations of criminal sex abuse in her state must begin at the local level with specific allegations against a person or organization.

Iowa

The state attorney general doesn't have the specific statutory authority to call a statewide investigative grand jury.

"We aren’t currently investigating, but we are monitoring what other AGs are doing,"  communications director Lynn Hicks said. "We prosecute cases that are referred to us by county attorneys, and I’m not aware that we’ve received any recent, specific allegations of abuse involving priests and the Catholic Church."

Kansas

No statewide or multi-county grand jury system exists under the attorney general. In an Aug. 21 news release, Attorney General Derek Schmidt encouraged victims of child sexual abuse to contact its statewide Victim Assistance Hotline.

Schmidt said:

Any victim also may report abuse to any local law-enforcement agency. Within the limits of the law, state and local law enforcement agencies in Kansas are committed to enforcing the criminal laws against physical and sexual abuse of children.

And our office can assist local authorities upon their request and as resources allow — regardless of when a crime may have occurred or who may have committed it.

Kentucky

Officials in Kentucky have been in touch with the Pennsylvania Attorney General's Office.

"We are looking to see what statutory tools we might have to address any similar issues," Deputy Attorney General J. Michael Brown said.

Kentucky has no statute that allows its attorney general to use a multi-district or statewide grand jury – the tool investigators in Pennsylvania used. But Brown said the "office has a core mission to seek justice for victims of sexual abuse and will continue to pursue every avenue in carrying out that mission.” 

Louisiana

The office's investigations primarily focus "on internet crimes, which we see often leads to hands-on offenses," press secretary Ruth Wisher said.

Wisher said her office recommends that physical acts perpetrated against children be reported to local law enforcement and first-responder agencies. 

►October 2013:Church abuse haunts lawyer who defended Louisiana priest

"We, of course, stand ready should law enforcement agencies need assistance from our digital forensic lab examiners and/or our cyber investigators," Wisher said.

Maine

In 2004, a grand jury investigation into the Diocese of Portland, the only one in the state, described the following:

• Five district attorneys previously brought criminal prosecutions for the sexual abuse of minors against priests, clergy members or laypersons working for Catholic schools or churches.
• Victims brought additional allegations of sexual abuse of a minor by 20 living and 15 deceased diocese priests; seven laypersons; and six living and five deceased priests or brothers that orders of the church not associated directly with the diocese supervised.
• Additional allegations came from 17 victims against a clergy member or clergy members whom the victim or the diocese could not identify.

"To the extent that new allegations have arisen since the date of the report, those have been addressed by the relevant District Attorney’s Office," assistant attorney general Leanne Robbin said.

Maryland

The office doesn't confirm or deny the existence of investigations, office spokeswoman Raquel Coombs said.

"The attorney general encourages those who may have been witnesses or victims of abuse to contact his office," she said.

Massachusetts

A 2003 attorney general's office report said 789 victims had complained of sexual abuse from members of the clergy, according to the Archdiocese of Boston's own files.

Evidence also showed that 250 priests and church workers stood accused of rape or sexual assault of children.

► Aug. 22: Priest was arrested for soliciting sex, but diocese just moved him again
► Aug. 17:Why the Catholic Church still struggles with sexual abuse scandals

"The widespread assault on children has occurred for at least six decades under the administrations of three successive archbishops. Clearly, this massive assault is the responsibility of no one person or administration," the report said.

In a recent radio interview, Attorney General Maura Healey said her state has had positive changes to its statute of limitation laws. She said she hopes the Pennsylvania report encourages victims and survivors to come forward.

"If anything comes to my attention, we will certainly look to investigate and review that," Healey said.

Michigan

The office can't confirm or deny the presence of an investigation, press secretary Megan Hawthorne said.

Minnesota

The attorney general's office doesn't have jurisdiction for the type of investigation Pennsylvania conducted, said office spokesman Ben Wogsland.

In Minnesota, the governor can convene a statewide grand jury, attorney Jeff Anderson told the St. Cloud Times. The press secretary for Gov. Mark Dayton said the governor is researching the issue.

► Aug. 22:Sex abuse survivors' attorney calls for probe of all Minnesota Catholic dioceses

Mississippi

Office policy is to neither confirm nor deny investigations, a spokeswoman said.

Missouri

On Aug. 23, Missouri Attorney General Josh Hawley announced an independent review of the Archdiocese of St. Louis, which consists of parishes in the city of St. Louis and 10 eastern Missouri counties.

Archbishop Robert 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."

► Aug. 23:Missouri attorney general to investigate clergy sexual abuse cases

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 an attorney general's office review of their files, according to the Missouri Catholic Conference.

But the Survivors Network of those Abused By Priests says what's happening in Missouri has problems.

In a news release, the group said these investigations are "self-serving." Instead, a grand jury has the power to subpoena documents and to compel current and former church officials and staff to answer tough questions under oath.

"What made that Pennsylvania report so valuable was that it did not solely rely on information provided by church officials," the group said in an Aug. 27 news release. "As a result, we got much closer to a true understanding of the scope of sexual abuse in Pennsylvania."  

Montana

An investigation must begin locally and then a local law enforcement agency can refer the case to the state attorney general's office or ask for assistance, said John Barnes, a spokesman for the attorney general's office.

"To my knowledge, no allegations of sexual abuse by clergy have been brought to the attention of this agency," Barnes said.

Nebraska

Nebraska residents have two toll-free hotline numbers they can call if they have been victims of clergy abuse or abuse from anyone in a position of authority, said Suzanne Gage, a spokeswoman for the Nebraska Attorney General's Office.

The office does not comment on possible investigations.

Nevada

The office said it can neither confirm nor deny the existence of an investigation.

New Hampshire

A grand jury began investigating the state's sole diocese in 2002, and the attorney general's office was prepared to charge the Manchester Diocese with multiple counts of endangering the welfare of a minor.

But in December 2002, the diocese entered into an agreement with the state to end criminal proceedings. As part of the conditions, the diocese was required to comply with mandatory reporting requirements for sexual abuse of minors that were stricter than the state's law at the time.

Jeff Strelzin, a spokesman for the office, said no additional investigations are planned now.

New Jersey

"We are reviewing the Pennsylvania grand jury report and the work undertaken by the Pennsylvania Attorney General’s Office to determine what, if any, additional actions are appropriate in New Jersey," said spokesman Leland Moore of the New Jersey Attorney General's Office.

The office generally  does not confirm or deny ongoing criminal investigations.

New Mexico

New Mexico is mentioned more than two dozen times in Pennsylvania's grand jury report with some clergy members being sent to a treatment center in the state after abuse allegations.

Spokesman David Carl said:

The attorney general is very troubled by additional evidence in the investigative grand jury report which reveals that the diocese participated in a broader conspiracy to hide priests or cover up sexual abuse resulting in victimization of New Mexicans.

As such, the OAG is working closely with the Pennsylvania attorney general to identify gaps in legal protections and will increase efforts to prioritize strengthening laws and reporting requirements aimed at preventing these large-scale tragedies moving forward.

New York

On Aug. 16, two days after Pennsylvania's grand jury report was released, 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, office spokeswoman Amy Spitalnick said.

► June 10:Diocese of Rochester has paid $1.6 million to 20 sex abuse victims

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

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.

Clergy in Westchester and Suffolk counties were the subject of separate grand jury reports in 2002 and 2003, respectively.

North Carolina

The attorney general has no authority to conduct a similar investigation to Pennsylvania or to call a grand jury.

But Attorney General Josh Stein is encouraging anyone who might have information about that type of misconduct to contact his office at (919) 716-6400.

"Our office is prepared to help coordinate with DAs about individual cases and help connect people with counseling and other victims’ services," office spokeswoman Laura Brewer said.

North Dakota

The prosecution of criminal offenses falls to independently elected county prosecutors, said Liz Brocker, spokeswoman for the North Dakota Attorney General's Office. 

The state office cannot direct what those local prosecutors do or how they do it, Brocker said.

Ohio

The attorney general would need a request from a local prosecutor to empanel a grand jury similar to the one used in Pennsylvania, office spokesman Dan Tierney said.

"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.

Oklahoma

"We currently do not have a seated multicounty grand jury," said Terri Watkins, director of communications for the office. "We also do not comment on the actions or investigations of a grand jury."

Oregon

"We are reviewing our options, so it is too early to comment," said Kristina Edmunson, a spokeswoman for the office.

Pennsylvania

A series of grand juries has investigated every diocese in the state.

• Released in 2005. An investigation into the Philadelphia Archdiocese, led by the city's district attorney, documented abuse by at least 63 priests.

• Released in 2016. An investigation into the Altoona-Johnstown diocese said at least 50 priests or religious leaders were involved in widespread abuse.

• Released Aug. 14. A redacted grand jury report described more than 1,000 victims and more than 300 predator priests in the state's six other Roman Catholic dioceses.

The Pennsylvania Catholic Conference estimates that about a quarter of the state's population is Catholic, about 3.2 million people of all ages.

Rhode Island

The office doesn't comment about potential pending criminal investigations.

But the state does not have an investigative grand jury similar to one that released the Pennsylvania report, spokeswoman Amy Kempe said.

South Carolina

The statewide grand jury has jurisdiction over narcotics, human trafficking, criminal gang activity and certain other crimes, but priests' sexual abuse of children isn't one of them, said Robert Kittle, a spokesman for the office.

South Dakota

The office can't confirm or deny an investigation, and anything its office releases would come with an arrest or indictment, spokeswoman Sara Rabern said.

Tennessee

The state attorney general's office does not have jurisdiction to bring this type of investigation, a spokeswoman said.

Texas

The office cannot confirm or deny investigations, a spokesperson said.

Utah

"We have not received any complaints or referrals nor do we have an investigation open at this time," said spokeswoman Cindy Reinhard. "You should know that it is the policy of our agency to not comment on investigations until after they have closed."

Vermont

The office had not responded as of Thursday.

Virginia

From press secretary Charlotte P.L. Gomer of the Virginia Commonwealth's Attorney's Office:

The abuse detailed in the grand jury report is horrific, and those responsible should be held to account. We generally do not comment on ongoing investigations, or confirm whether or not one may be ongoing.

We encourage any survivors of sexual abuse to reach out to our office or their local law enforcement or commonwealth’s attorney’s office so they can get connected with resources and support.

Washington

The office generally doesn't comment to confirm or deny investigations, said Brionna Aho, a spokeswoman.

West Virginia

No response from the office as of Thursday.

Wisconsin

The Wisconsin Department of Justice does not have jurisdiction to begin its own investigation.

"We are very troubled by what we’ve read in the Pennsylvania grand jury report," said Rebecca Ballweg, a spokeswoman in the attorney general's office. 

"The first step in any investigation led by Wisconsin DOJ would be a request from a DA or local law enforcement agency for assistance, and to date we have not received any such request."

Wyoming

No response from the office as of Thursday.

Guam

In March, a Vatican tribunal found former Archbishop Anthony S. Apuron of Guam, a U.S. territory, guilty of "certain accusations" involving the sexual abuse of minors.

An attorney general's office spokeswoman, Carlina Charfauros, said in email:

The Office of the Attorney General of Guam is aware of the numerous civil lawsuits which have been filed in Guam that concern allegations of sexual abuse by priests and continues to examine these reported news pieces. 

It was not until March 2011 that the Guam Legislature enacted a law removing the statute of limitations on criminal sexual conduct crimes against minors.  Constitutional and legal prohibitions cannot revive these criminal cases ex post facto.

The Office of the Attorney General of Guam, Criminal Division, will investigate any allegation of clergy sexual abuse under the new statute of limitation.

Nationally

Some activists have called for a federal investigation. The U.S. Department of Justice declined to comment.

Pennsylvania Attorney General Josh Shapiro told The New York Times that he had spoken to a Justice Department representative after the release of the Pennsylvania grand jury report.

"Beyond that, I do not think it would be prudent for me to comment," he said.

Follow Ed Mahon on Twitter: @edmahonreporter

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