New York attorney general’s office has issued subpoenas to every Catholic diocese in the state
By Julie Zauzmer and Michelle Boorstein September 6, 2018
By Julie Zauzmer and Michelle Boorstein September 6, 2018
The New York attorney general’s office has issued subpoenas to every Catholic diocese in the state, becoming the latest U.S. state to embark on an expansive investigation of sex crimes committed and covered up by Catholic priests.
The Catholic Church faces a major test over the next several months, as the attorneys general of at least five states conduct investigations and several more consider opening up the decades-old secret files of the dioceses in their states. Millions of Catholics nationwide now must grapple with attending a church that is under criminal investigation.
After New York’s subpoenas were issued, and first reported by the Associated Press on Thursday, New Jersey quickly followed, announcing a criminal task force focused on investigating sexual abuse by Catholic clergy. New Mexico launched an investigation this week, and Nebraska and Missouri have inquiries underway....
A person familiar with the New York investigation told The Washington Post that the attorney general’s office sent civil subpoenas to the eight Catholic dioceses. The subpoenas are part of an ongoing civil investigation by the attorney general’s Charities Bureau, which is looking into whether the nonprofit dioceses covered up sexual abuse of minors.
Separately, the criminal division is working with district attorneys in the state who might convene grand juries to investigate crimes committed by priests. On Thursday, Attorney General Barbara Underwood announced a telephone hotline and an online forum for victims and witnesses of child abuse committed by clergy in the state of New York to contact investigators. New Jersey Attorney General Gurbir Grewal also said that his office had set up a new telephone hotline for victims of sexual abuse by clergy and would investigate the allegations through its new criminal task force....
Mexico violence: Remains of 166 found in Veracruz mass grave
September 5, 2018
September 5, 2018
The skulls of at least 166 people have been found in a mass grave in Mexico's eastern state of Veracruz.
State prosecutor Jorge Winckler said the skulls and other human remains had been there for at least two years.
The exact location is not being disclosed for security reasons, he added.
Drug traffickers have used Veracruz as a dumping ground for their victims for many years. In March 2017, 250 skulls were found in another mass grave there....
Relatives of people who have disappeared in Mexico have long been campaigning for more to be done to help them find their loved ones.
Drug-related violence in Mexico has soared since 2006 when the army was deployed to fight the powerful cartels. Since then more than 200,000 people have been killed, including a record 28,702 last year.
Another 37,000 people are registered as missing.
Victims include cartel members but also migrants heading to the US who refuse to be recruited.
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