Group Wants Missouri AG Investigation into Catholic Church to Go beyond Priests

By Russell Kinsaul
KMOV TV
September 20, 2018

https://www.kmov.com/news/group-wants-missouri-ag-investigation-into-catholic-church-to-go/article_098cf6ee-bd3c-11e8-ba3b-ef140bbbb6e8.html

An advocacy group for victims of sexual abuse by priests says it wants an investigation into the St. Louis Archdiocese by Missouri Attorney General Josh Hawley to be expanded.

The Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests (SNAP) says it wants an investigation to go beyond priests and include religious orders, deacons and brothers, and said people need to be required to testify under oath.

When Hawley announced an investigation into clergy sex abuse in the Catholic Church in Missouri, Archbishop Robert Carlson promised unfettered access to church records.

“There needs to be subpoena power, there needs to be compelling testimony under oath. Anything else is less than an investigation and I would say it’s a sham and a whitewash,” said Tim Lennon with SNAP.

The group also claimed priests identified as predators by a Pennsylvania grand jury were sent to Missouri.

“We do know that priests from elsewhere who were suspended by their parishes because of abuse were sent to St. Louis and abused here,” said David Clohessey with SNAP.

The St. Louis Archdiocese said it could not confirm or deny that nine priests were sent to the St. Louis Health Centers for treatment but it did release a statement:

We have found no record that any of these nine were granted faculties to serve in any capacity here in the Archdiocese of St. Louis. We have no way to confirm or deny that these priests who reportedly came from another diocese to St. Louis for inpatient treatment at privately run health centers did or did not do so. The health centers themselves would be the best source of this information and none of those facilities were operated by the Archdiocese of St. Louis.

We have always cooperated with law enforcement in any investigation into these matters and we will continue to do so.

News 4 reached out to Hawley’s office but have yet to hear back.