Attorneys general in New York, New Jersey and at least four other states are investigating after a report detailed the abuse of more than 1,000 children.
Hoping to rebuild credibility after several bishops were brought down by allegations of sexual abuse, the American bishops’ conference promised a hotline, a new code of conduct and other measures.
The church’s failure to police its own ranks has led some Catholics to call for a total housecleaning of all bishops who gave cover to abusive priests.
The Justice Department has told Catholic dioceses to preserve documents related to its handling of child sexual abuse, a sign that the federal inquiry is more extensive than previously known.
After a cardinal’s resignation, a grand jury investigation and renewed attention to the crisis, “I hope this doesn’t look like a dodge,” one bishop said.
After opening an investigation into clergy sex abuse against minors in Illinois in August, the state attorney general released preliminary findings on Wednesday.
Some Catholic parishes have quietly welcomed gay parishioners and staff. But in the aftermath of the sex abuse crisis, there is a campaign to push them out.
