HARRISBURG, Pa. _ On the heels of the scathing grand jury report on clergy sexual abuse in Pennsylvania, the U.S. attorney's office in Philadelphia has subpoenaed all eight Roman Catholic dioceses in the state for its records, according to two sources familiar with the inquiry.
The subpoenas cast a wide net, seeking information for crimes ranging from possession of child pornography and priests transporting children across state lines, the sources said.
The Associated Press, which first reported the subpoenas, said federal authorities also sought documents stored in the church's so-called "secret archives," and records related to the dioceses' organizational charts, finances, insurance coverage, clergy assignments, treatment and other documents.
Several dioceses in the state confirmed the existence of a federal inquiry, including the Archdiocese of Philadelphia.
"The Archdiocese of Philadelphia has received a subpoena issued by a federal grand jury, which requires the production of certain documents," said spokesman Ken Gavin. "The Archdiocese will cooperate with the United States Department of Justice in this matter."
Federal authorities served subpoena on the archdiocese Oct. 9, Gavin said.
The dioceses of Harrisburg, Erie and Allentown also released statements saying they had been contacted by the investigation, and either were intending to comply or were speaking with their lawyers.
The federal probe follows a two-year investigation by Pennsylvania Attorney General Josh Shapiro's office into clergy sexual abuse in nearly every Catholic diocese in the state. The inquiry resulted in a blistering grand jury report that chronicled how more than 300 priests sexually abused more than 1,000 children over seven decades _ and how church officials systematically covered it up to prevent scandal.
"All of (the victims) were brushed aside, in every part of the state, by church leaders who preferred to protect the abusers and their institutions above all," the report says. "Priests were raping little boys and girls, and the men of God who were responsible not only did nothing: They hid it all."
Shapiro has said that his office's investigation drew upon testimony from dozens of witness and also relied heavily on "secret archives" of priest abuse complaints kept by the dioceses. Those archives, the attorney general's office said, detailed how church officials ignored or hid allegations while shuffling abusers from parish to parish. Lawsuits filed by accusers often ended in strict confidentiality agreements, ensuring their silence for years.
