KANSAS CITY (KS)
WDAF-TV - Fox 4 [Kansas City MO]
January 8, 2023
By Mike Coutee
The Archdiocese of Kansas City released a statement Saturday after the Kansas Bureau of Investigation released a report results from a four-year investigation into abuse in Kansas’ Catholic Churches.
The investigation started when departing Kansas Attorney General Derek Schmidt requested it in 2018 after Kansas City Archdiocese Archbishop Joseph Naumann asked to have each diocese investigated.
It found all four dioceses in Kansas not only had clergy members who abused children between 1950 and the 2000s but also helped cover up those crimes.
“You cannot read this report without your heart breaking,” said Archbishop Joseph Naumann, leader of the Archdiocese of Kansas City in Kansas.
“The Archdiocese has openly collaborated with the KBI from the moment we initiated an extensive and thorough review of our internal files by an independent, outside law firm,” Vicar General Father John Riley said in a written statement. “We shared the full results of our independent review with the KBI and have continued to provide additional information throughout the investigation.”
In response, the diocese of Kansas has created programs to protect children and vulnerable adults in its parishes and schools and the report indicate a decline in the allegations in recent years.