Former federal judge Barbara Jones attends a news conference at the headquarters of the Archdiocese of New York, Sept. 20, 2018 in New York City.Jones' appointment comes after an announcement by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops Wednesday that establishes a hotline, monitored by a third party, to field complaints of abuse of minors and harassment of adults.
The attorney general’s office in New Jersey also previously announced the formation of a task force to investigate Roman Catholic dioceses in that state, New Jersey Attorney General Gurbir Grewal said.
The investigations follow a grand jury report in neighboring Pennsylvania, which alleged more than 1,000 victims of clergy sexual abuse over seven decades.
Following the announcement of the subpoenas in New York earlier this month, the archdiocese of New York said in a statement that the attorney general "will find the Archdiocese of New York, and the other seven dioceses in the state, ready and eager to work together with her in the investigation."
"Since 2002, the archdiocese has shared with its 10 District Attorneys all information they have sought concerning allegations of sexual abuse of minors, and has established excellent working relationships with each of them," the statement continued. "Not only do we provide any information they seek, they also notify us as well when they learn of an allegation of abuse, so that, even if they cannot bring criminal charges, we might investigate and remove from ministry any cleric who has a credible and substantiated allegation of abuse. We look forward to receiving the subpoena, and working with the Attorney General."
Kaynak:Abcnews