WA Attorney General hits roadblock in statewide clergy sex abuse investigation
Emily Goodell | Apple Valley News Now | July 16th, 2024
YAKIMA, Wash. — Washington State Attorney General Bob Ferguson has hit a roadblock in his investigation into child sexual abuse within the Catholic Church after a judge denied his request to enforce a subpoena against the Seattle Archdiocese.
In an exclusive report, Apple Valley News Now’s Emily Goodell spoke to the Catholic Accountability Project and the Yakima Diocese about the implications of this decision moving forward.
The Catholic Church has publicly identified over 100 clergy and other religious leaders across Washington state that they believe sexually abused children. This includes 83 in the Seattle Archdiocese, 30 in the Spokane Diocese and 21 in the Yakima Diocese, all named in lists available to the public online.
Peter Isely, a founding member of the Catholic Accountability Project and a survivor, believes more voices remain unheard.
"Especially when you're a child, rape and sexual assault — the offender does two things," Isely said. "First, he steals your body. Then he steals your voice. Justice is about the return of that voice."
Ferguson has been seeking justice through an investigation into whether the Catholic Church used charitable funds to help cover up child sexual abuse. His office launched a hotline for survivors to come forward at 833-952-6277.
"They jumped into action," said Sarah Pearson, another founding member of the Catholic Accountability Project. "They provided over 7,500 pages of whistleblower documents and evidence to our organization."
According to Pearson, the evidence includes depositions, personnel files, survivor testimonies, internal church memos and police reports.
Yakima Diocese Chancellor Monsignor Robert Siler said they offered to share some, but not all, of the requested information last year when they met with the attorney general's office staff.
"We had some legitimate concerns about protecting the privacy rights of victims," Siler said. "We had concerns about protecting the privacy rights of priests that we knew had been falsely accused."
This year, Ferguson subpoenaed the dioceses for information they hadn’t made public. Siler said they took issue with the expansive financial records requested.
"We were willing to provide some documentation but we also wanted to see the Attorney General's legal authority for the subpoena and it seems clear from the ruling that was made in King County that he simply does not have the legal authority," Siler said.
A judge denied Ferguson's petition to have the court enforce the subpoena against the Seattle Archdiocese. In a statement, Ferguson said, "Our fight for survivors of clergy abuse is not over," committing to appeal the decision.
Mary Dispenza, Northwest Director of the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests and a survivor herself, said she wants other survivors to know they’re not alone and that she's been where they are.
"Overcome with shame and fear and feeling isolated and alone," Dispenza said. "But I want to say to you, I can attest to this, that coming forward is a freeing experience."
Isely emphasized the importance of their efforts: "What we care about is that this doesn't happen to another child. That's why we're doing what we're doing."
The Attorney General’s office has stated they haven’t taken action against the Spokane and Yakima dioceses but are prepared to do so if necessary.