The Catholic Church’s handling of sexual abuse allegations is under investigation in Washington

OLYMPIA, Wash. (AP) — Washington state is taking legal action against the Archdiocese of Seattle over whether the Catholic Church used charity funds to cover up sexual abuse.

Attorney General Bob Ferguson announced May 9 that his office is investigating whether three Washington dioceses covered up alleged clergy abuses.

“Washingtonians deserve a public accounting of how the Catholic Church handles allegations of child sexual abuse and whether donor funds were used to cover it up,” Ferguson said.

According to the AG’s office, subpoenas were sent to the dioceses of Seattle, Spokane and Yakima in the summer of 2023, followed by a new round of subpoenas in the spring of 2024 requesting accounting and financial records.

According to a press release about the legal action, it has long been the attorney general’s policy not to comment on investigations or to confirm or deny that they are taking place.

However, the Archdiocese of Seattle has refused to comply with the subpoena and a court order is now required for the investigation to continue. The investigation has been published.

The AG’s office has filed a motion to enforce the subpoena in King County Superior Court and is asking the court to consider the case on May 22.

Under the Charitable Trust Act, the AG’s office has the authority to investigate an organization’s use of charitable funds.

Should the announced investigation find a violation of the law, the Attorney General’s Office will take steps to seek justice and take measures to ensure that children are not subjected to abuse in the future, today’s press release said.

The three dioceses in Washington are organized as “Corporation Sole,” which holds assets in trust for religious and charitable purposes.

According to the AG’s office, the investigation aims to determine whether these charitable funds were used to cover up the sexual abuse of Washingtonians.

“Our goal is to use every tool at our disposal to bring the truth to light and give survivors a voice,” Ferguson said.

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