Washington AGO sues Catholic church over documents in child abuse investigation

(The middle square) — Washington Attorney General Bob Ferguson is asking a court to enforce a subpoena against the Catholic Church’s Archdiocese of Seattle for documents related to a child abuse investigation.

At Thursday’s news conference, Ferguson said the investigation was looking into alleged “decades of compelling sexual abuse” but that the archdiocese had refused to release information that had already been made publicly available. The AGO’s investigation is specifically examining whether three Washington dioceses used charitable funds to cover up allegations against clergy.

A press release said: “The Attorney General’s Office has a long-standing policy of not commenting on investigations or confirming whether they exist.” Because the Archdiocese of Seattle refused to comply with the office’s subpoena, the office now has to file one Obtain a court order to advance the investigation. This process made the investigation public.”

The motion, filed in King County Superior Court, states: “The people of Washington have a compelling interest in learning the truth about the church’s complicity in sexual abuse and whether the Archdiocese’s charitable trust funds have been misused for this unlawful purpose . “You deserve evidence-based assurances – not empty promises – that these trust funds will never be used to harm children in the future.”

In 2016, the Archdiocese of Seattle released a list of clergy and religious leaders the church believes were involved in the sexual abuse of a minor in Western Washington.

In response to the AG’s announcement, the Diocese of Yakima’s Pastoral Office issued a press release expressing the church’s desire to ensure that youth are protected from sexual abuse. The statement said the diocese invited the attorney general to work with the Catholic Church to address issues of concern. However, no response was received from Ferguson despite assurances that the information would be made available to him. According to the church, the subpoena issued by Ferguson’s office is unwarranted and unlawful.

“Our legal representatives were told that the invitation would be forwarded directly to the Attorney General. Unfortunately, our offer to engage in a collaborative, constructive and public process that could benefit all Washington residents does not appear to have been accepted. The Attorney General’s Office has also not identified a valid legal basis for the extraordinary requirements for the diocese. “The subpoena is unlawful and violates the guarantees of the First Amendment of the United States Constitution and Article I, Section 11 of the Constitution of the State of Washington,” the diocese’s statement said.

The church’s statement shows that Catholic programs have worked, particularly since 2002, to provide leadership in protecting young people from abuse and providing care to victims of child abuse.

The diocese’s statement said the church was working with authorities and internally to ensure reports of abuse were thoroughly followed up.

“We promptly report credible complaints to law enforcement, cooperate with their investigations, and continue our investigations if civil authorities decide not to proceed,” the statement said.

The hearing in King County Superior Court is scheduled for May 22.

R. Hans Miller of the Columbia Basin Herald contributed to this report.