Missouri Attorney General To Refer Dozen Clergy Sex-Abuse Cases To Prosecutors
Attorney General Eric Schmitt will refer 12 cases of Catholic Church sexual abuse allegations to local prosecutors after reviewing 2,300 personnel records of priests, deacons, seminarians and nuns provided by Missouri’s four Catholic dioceses over the past year.
Overall, Schmitt said his office found 163 priests and other clergy members had been accused of sexual misconduct involving minors in Missouri since 1945. In some cases, they were accused of abuse multiple times and by multiple people.
"Well, there's no question this was a long-sustained and far-reaching cover-up — to cover up the abuse. ... The focus was more on protecting priests than looking out for the victims," Schmitt said Friday at a press conference.
He said his civil investigation of Catholic clergy sexual abuse allegations is the most comprehensive to ever take place in Missouri, though it did not encompass all Catholic clergy who have worked in the state over the past 74 years.
https://news.stlpublicradio.org/post/missouri-attorney-general-refer-dozen-clergy-sex-abuse-cases-prosecutors