ST. LOUIS (MO)
The Daily Beast
August 24, 2018
By Jamie Ross
After the devastating scale of abuse in Pennsylvania was revealed, other states want to know if it spread to their own Catholic establishments.
The scale of sexual abuse by priests in Pennsylvania—where more than 1,000 children were targeted over decades—has prompted shocked officials in other U.S. states to examine how far the cancer has spread.
Officials in Missouri announced Thursday that the state would launch an investigation into sex crimes within the local Catholic Church, saying the Archdiocese of St. Louis had offered to open its files to scrutiny.
Missouri Attorney General Josh Hawley came under pressure from survivors of sexual abuse in the state who protested outside his office earlier in the week after new allegations of abuse emerged.
Last week a couple reportedly sued the Springfield-Cape Girardeau Diocese alleging that Troy Casteel, its director of family ministry, sexually abused a woman on diocese property during marital counseling. The couple claims that the diocese was aware of the claim but gave Casteel “sanctuary.”
Casteel was known to spend time alone with the wife and go on trips with her, according to the lawsuit, but the diocese did not intervene. It’s claimed Casteel’s actions culminated in abusing the woman.
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