Iowa Attorney General’s Report Finds Decades of Clergy Sexual Abuse Allegations, Cover-Ups in Catholic Church

The Iowa Attorney General’s Office released its report from an investigation into accusations of sexual abuse by Catholic clergy. The report found allegations against three current clergy members. All three fell outside the criminal statute of limitations, so none could be prosecuted on the basis of those allegations.

The Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests (SNAP) responded the following day. Michael McDonnell, SNAP’s communication manager, said the group appreciated the investigation but saw remaining concerns. SNAP wants the names of the three clergy members disclosed. “They have an obligation to do that,” McDonnell said. “It is so important because knowledge is key, knowledge is awareness. This type of information, often more times than not, brings forward other victims who may have been sitting in silence for a very, very long time.”

The Bishops in Iowa said they would study the report. SNAP said it expects more immediate action from the Church to support the healing process. McDonnell, who said he is a survivor himself, said he believes the release of names would help other survivors come forward. He said the average age at which someone discloses childhood clergy abuse is 52, and he urged anyone who has been abused to report it to the police. SNAP also said it wants other states to conduct their own investigations into clergy abuse, following Iowa’s example. Protecting the vulnerable and bringing hidden harm into the open is a concern that runs through the survivors’ appeal (Psalm 82:3).

The investigation, led by Attorney General Tom Miller’s office, began in late 2018 and focused on 50 complaints: 45 involving the Catholic Church and five involving non-Catholic or spiritual settings. It also reviewed other records involving 70 Catholic priests. The complaints covered alleged abuse ranging from the 1930s through 1997.

In its report, the Attorney General’s Office expressed sympathy for all victims who endured sexual abuse within the Catholic Church over decades. “This is well known, but never should be minimized. Iowa is not different from the rest of the country. Our hearts go out to the victims of these acts. The consequences are severe and lifelong,” the office said. The report stated that none of the complaints against Catholic clergy fell within the statute of limitations for criminal prosecution. It also concluded that, although Iowa’s Catholic Church has a painful history of abuse and extensive cover-ups, the dioceses have become more responsive to victims’ claims in recent years.

Miller personally spoke with some of the survivors. According to the report, they either had never disclosed their experiences or had reported allegations that were ignored or covered up by the Church. Miller used some of the same investigative tactics as Pennsylvania Attorney General Josh Shapiro. Because there was a lack of clarity about the office’s authority to compel cooperation from the four dioceses, the Attorney General’s Office asked the dioceses in 2019 to take part in the investigation voluntarily.

The four dioceses are the Archdiocese of Dubuque, the Diocese of Des Moines, the Diocese of Davenport, and the Diocese of Sioux City, and their lists of accused clergy are publicly available. The bishops of those dioceses responded to the Attorney General’s request by saying that participation in the investigation would be costly. They also expressed concern about the confidentiality and credibility of accusations against clergy members. In his reply, Miller urged the bishops to recognize the importance of investigating the accusations publicly. Under past practice, accusations that the dioceses did not find credible were not made public, and Miller wanted to bring those cases to light.

Source: Read the original report