Archbishop Etienne of Seattle equates AG Ferguson’s clergy abuse investigation to oversight on “refill[ing] toilet paper dispensers”
Archbishop Etienne argues in court brief that the state has no right to investigate sexual abuse or financial mismanagement
Archbishop Etienne argues in court brief that the state has no right to investigate sexual abuse or financial mismanagement
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: JULY 1, 2024
CONTACT:
Tim Law
Catholic Accountability Project Founding Member
Ending Clergy Abuse (ECA) Board Member
timalaw@aol.com
206-412-0165
Peter Isely
ECA Founding Member, CAP Founding Member
peter@natesmission.org
414-429-7259
Earlier this afternoon, Archbishop Paul D. Etienne of Seattle submitted his opposition to Attorney General Bob Ferguson’s petition to compel the archdiocese to cooperate with the AGO’s subpoenas demanding abuse-related documents from Washington State’s three Catholic dioceses.
The AGO filed subpoenas on the basis of the Charitable Trust Act (CTA), which gives the Washington State Attorney General the authority to “facilitate public supervision” of public charitable trusts…and to clarify and implement the powers and duties of the attorney general.” Ferguson argues that criminal activity is not a protected activity under the CTA.
Archbishop Etienne argues that Attorney General Ferguson has no authority to investigate any part of the functioning of the Catholic Church - even when their patterns and practices include concealing and enabling sexual abuse of children and vulnerable adults.
The Archdiocese asserts that the state has no right to analyze any specific activity undertaken by Catholic Church whether it includes activities such as “refill[ing] toilet paper dispensers,” “prepar[ing] sandwiches,” or responding to allegations of rape and sexual abuse by members of their staff. Claiming that their response to sexual abuse is a religious matter and not one of the state’s concern, the Archdiocese alludes to “religious persecution” in Attorney General Ferguson’s effort to investigate widespread sexual abuse and cover-up in the Catholic Church.
The Archdiocese goes as far as to argue that the state has no authority to investigate financial mismanagement or fraud - even when there is sufficient evidence to believe such activity has taken place in the course of concealing sexual abuse, essentially declaring themselves immune from any accountability or consequences.
On Wednesday, February 14th, Archbishop Etienne responded to questions from survivors and advocates of CAP as to whether he would share abuse-related documents with law enforcement if asked of him. In a filmed response, Etienne replied, “I am here to cooperate,” and “legally, I doubt we’d have any option.”
“Archbishop Etienne promised survivors that he would cooperate with the attorney general’s investigation,” said clergy abuse survivor and CAP member Mary Dispenza. “Washington State survivors have been betrayed by Archbishop Etienne’s refusal to cooperate with Attorney General Ferguson. His claim that the archdiocese is above the law is what makes the Church unsafe, for children and survivors of abuse.”
The AGO has until July 8th to file a response to the Archdiocese of Seattle’s objection. There is a court hearing scheduled for Friday, July 12th.
CAP is urging victims, concerned Catholics, and whistleblowers to report their abuse, and share their experiences and concerns, as well as any other relevant documents and evidence by calling the Attorney General’s clergy abuse hotline at 833-952-6277.
Ending Clergy Abuse (ECA) is a worldwide organization of human rights’ activists who focus on children’s and victims’ rights joining in common cause to compel the Church to end clerical abuse, especially child sexual abuse, in order to protect children and to seek effective justice for victims. ECA demands the end of the Church’s structural mechanism that allows abuse.
For more information, visit www.ecaglobal.org
World’s leading coalition of clergy abuse victims forms historic collaboration with Catholic Church’s top anti-abuse experts
The two sides meet for three days in Rome to create a new “zero tolerance” norm for abusive clergy
They will jointly present their proposal in September
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: JUNE 11, 2024
CONTACT:
Tim Law
Catholic Accountability Project Founding Member
Ending Clergy Abuse (ECA) Board Member
timalaw@aol.com
206-412-0165
Peter Isely
ECA Founding Member, CAP Founding Member
peter@natesmission.org
414-429-7259
From L-R: Monsignor Peter Beer, Sarah Pearson, Peter Isely, Anne Barrett-Doyle, Gemma Hickey, Janet Aguti, Matthias Katsch, Denise Buchanan, Father Hans Zollner, Sergio Salinas, Tim Law
Photo: Simone Padovani/Ending Clergy Abuse
For the first time in the history of the clergy sex abuse crisis, a global network of clergy abuse survivors is joining forces with the church’s top anti-abuse experts to create a new “zero tolerance” mandate in the Catholic Church.
Leaders of Ending Clergy Abuse (ECA) met privately last week with Father Hans Zollner, SJ, director of the Institute of Anthropology (IADC) at the Pontifical Gregorian University, and Monsignor Peter Beer, IADC’s head of research and development.
For three days, from 6-8 June, the leaders of ECA and the IADC worked together to create a proposal for new policies and laws, including the permanent removal of clergy sex abusers from ministry.
Gemma Hickey, president of ECA’s board of directors and a survivor of clergy sexual abuse, said, “This is the first time in the history of the clergy abuse catastrophe that an international coalition of survivor organizations and their advocates has joined with the leading Catholic Church institute for the safeguarding of children to endorse a binding and universal zero tolerance mandate for sexual abuse in the Catholic Church. As a survivor, I never thought I would see the day that Church representatives would join survivors in demanding an end to abuse and cover-up.”
ECA and the IADC included many partners into the conversation including: Bishop Luis Manuel Alí Herrera, secretary for the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors; Anne Barrett Doyle of BishopAccountability.org; Dean P. Ulrich Rhode, SJ, of the Faculty of Canon Law at the Pontifical Gregorian University; Dr. Martin Pusch, an attorney of Westpfahl Spilker Wastl; Australian Ambassador to the Holy See Chiara Porro; representatives of the United States embassy to the Holy See and other embassies; and other legal consultants.
After three days of presentation and discussion, the groups were able to form consensus around an endorsement of sweeping changes to Catholic Church law, policy, and practice including: permanent removal from ministry for any cleric found to have abused a child or vulnerable adult; the creation of an independent agency with authority to conduct investigations and issue public recommendations and reports; mandated transparency throughout the process; and severe penalties for any bishop or Catholic Church official who fails to abide by this policy.
The group will continue to finalize the official text of the joint proposal throughout the summer with the intention of presenting it before the final phase of Pope Francis’s Synod on Synodality in October.
The proposal, guided by internationally recognized principles of the best interests of children, youth, and vulnerable people, is in line with the key recommendations to the Holy See from the 2014 United Nations Committee on the Rights of the Child (CRC), state-sponsored investigations into clergy sexual abuse, and international human rights organizations.
This video featuring testimony of Father Jim Connell, Tom Doyle, and ECA Board Member Murray Heasley was shown during ECA's colloquium with Father Hans Zollner in Rome in June 2024.
Ending Clergy Abuse (ECA) is a worldwide organization of human rights’ activists who focus on children’s and victims’ rights joining in common cause to compel the Church to end clerical abuse, especially child sexual abuse, in order to protect children and to seek effective justice for victims. ECA demands the end of the Church’s structural mechanism that allows abuse.
For more information, visit www.ecaglobal.org
Survivors and advocates respond to AG Ferguson’s announcement of court order to obtain abuse evidence from Archbishop Étienne
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: MAY 9, 2024
CONTACT:
Tim Law
Catholic Accountability Project Founding Member
Ending Clergy Abuse (ECA) Board Member
206-412-0165
timalaw@aol.com
Mary Dispenza
Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (SNAP) Northwest Director
Catholic Accountability Project Founding Member
425-941-6001
mcdispenza@comcast.net
Survivors and advocates of the Catholic Accountability Project (CAP) praise Attorney General Bob Ferguson for his announcement that his office is seeking a court order to obtain abuse-related documents and evidence from Washington State’s three Catholic dioceses, led by Archbishop Étienne of Seattle. Ferguson announced that the Washington State bishops have not shared any documents or evidence of abuse that has not already been made public after sending subpoenas to the bishops both last summer and this spring.
CAP urges Ferguson to also subpoena the state’s religious orders for documents related to widespread sexual abuse by their clergy members in Washington State. Three such orders have published lists of offenders, many of whom also served in Washington State’s diocesan parishes:
The Jesuits West have named 133 abusive clergy
The Edmund Rice Christian Brothers of North America have listed 49 abusive clergy
The Franciscan Friars Conference of Santa Barbara have listed 76 abusive clergy
At Ferguson’s press conference this morning, CAP members urged the Attorney General to additionally use diplomatic means to obtain documents and evidence from the Vatican archive. Per Church law, all abuse cases and related documents and evidence are required to be shared with the Vatican. In 2019, Pope Francis lifted papal secrecy, requiring that Catholic bishops cooperate with law enforcement by sharing evidence of abuse. Archbishop Étienne is not just refusing to cooperate with the Attorney General’s office, but violating the Pope’s policy.
CAP members met with US Ambassador to the Holy See Joe Donnelly last October to discuss his office’s facilitation of the transfer of abuse-related documents and evidence to US law enforcement from the Vatican.
Survivors and advocates are encouraged to hear that Attorney General Ferguson has promised to protect whistleblowers with information about abuse and its institutional concealment by calling 833-952-6277.
CAP is urging victims, concerned Catholics, and whistleblowers to report their abuse, and share their experiences and concerns, as well as any other relevant documents and evidence by calling this number.
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Survivors of clergy abuse and advocates expect AG Ferguson’s civil investigation to result in criminal charges against Washington State bishops
Ferguson must obtain all Vatican documents and evidence pertaining to clergy abuse and cover-up in Washington State
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: MAY 9, 2024
CONTACT:
Tim Law
Catholic Accountability Project Founding Member
Ending Clergy Abuse (ECA) Board Member
206-412-0165
timalaw@aol.com
Mary Dispenza
Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (SNAP) Northwest Director
Catholic Accountability Project Founding Member
425-941-6001
mcdispenza@comcast.net
CAP members Tim Law and Mary Dispenza will be in attendance at Attorney General Ferguson's press conference in Seattle this morning and available for comment.
The Catholic Accountability Project (CAP) welcomes the Attorney General’s announcement of the commencement of a civil investigation into clergy sexual abuse and cover-up within the three dioceses of Washington state. The group expects that Ferguson’s investigation will extend to Catholic religious orders.
Survivors of clergy abuse and advocates have long called for such an investigation as an essential step towards achieving justice and accountability for victims who have suffered immeasurable harm at the hands of members of the clergy and bishops who concealed their crimes.
In February, CAP announced that Attorney General Bob Ferguson had taken the action of serving subpoenas upon the three bishops of the three dioceses in Washington State last August. Ferguson has now joined 23 other state attorneys general, both Democrats and Republicans, in investigating sexual abuse in faith-based organizations.
CAP expects that Ferguson’s investigation will meet the following demands of abuse survivors:
To establish a confidential hotline and online reporting system, as has been done in other statewide investigations. This would provide a secure platform for victims, witnesses, and whistleblowers to expose abuse and cover-up within faith-based organizations
To compel the production of all abuse-related documents and evidence from dioceses, religious orders, and the Vatican, as well as testimony from Catholic leaders, past and present, in Washington State
To pursue, in cooperation with local district attorneys, criminal prosecutions of both abusive clergy and church officials who covered up abuse based on evidence uncovered in the course of his investigation
To issue a comprehensive final report to the citizens of Washington State, detailing the Attorney General's findings
As the investigation progresses, CAP calls for transparency and accountability at every stage of the process. Survivors and advocates expect that Ferguson will share what documents and evidence, if any, his office has received from Archbishop Étienne of Seattle, Bishop Tyson of Yakima, and Bishop Daly of Spokane.
Furthermore, the Office of the Attorney General must pursue a diplomatic process with US Ambassador to the Holy See Joe Donnelly to obtain the abuse-related documents and evidence in possession of the Vatican archives. Per Catholic Church law, all abuse cases and related documents and evidence are required to be shared with the Vatican. Under the direction of Pope Francis, the Vatican is obligated to share this evidence with law enforcement investigations.
CAP members met with Ambassador Donnelly last October to discuss his facilitation of this process.
Finally, Attorney General Ferguson must endorse a clergy mandatory reporting bill that unequivocally abolishes privileges afforded to clergy, ensuring that they are held accountable and required to report child abuse and neglect like other professionals.
CAP is urging victims, concerned Catholics, and whistleblowers to report their abuse, and share their experiences and concerns, as well as any other relevant documents and evidence.
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Archbishop Étienne failed to disclose canonical investigation into recently removed Renton priest
A canonical investigation is initiated when a bishop refers an allegation of misconduct that meets a level of credibility and seriousness requiring an investigation to the Vatican’s Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: MARCH 2, 2024
CONTACT:
Tim Law
ECA Co-founder/Board Member
+1-206-412-0165
timalaw@aol.com
Mary Dispenza
SNAP Northwest Director
+1-425-941-6001
mcdispenza@comcast.net
On December 12th, 2023, Archbishop Étienne of Seattle sent a letter to parishioners of St. Stephen the Martyr in Renton, Washington informing the congregation that their Parochial Vicar, Rev. Arulanandam Robert Antony, had been removed from ministry due to a violation of the Code of Conduct. Antony, a member of India-based Heralds of the Good News (HGN) was the second member of HGN removed from St. Stephens in the past few years for violation of the Safe Environment Code. Father Jockim Xavier Dasan had been previously removed. In both cases, the Archdiocese of Seattle stopped their sponsorship of the priests’ visas, resulting in their return to India.
HGN is a Missionary Society of Apostolic Life founded in 1984. The aim of the society is to train and provide priests to “dioceses in India and abroad which experience a shortage of priests due to the lack of local vocations.”
L: Rev. Arulanandam Robert Antony; R: Fr. Jockim Xavier Dasan
In a conversation outside St. James Cathedral in Seattle on Ash Wednesday, Étienne told clergy abuse survivors and advocates that Antony is currently under canonical investigation, information that was not shared with St. Stephens last December.
A canonical investigation is initiated when a bishop refers an allegation of misconduct that meets a level of credibility and seriousness requiring an investigation to the Vatican’s Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith.
Étienne told survivors and activists that the misconduct did not involve abuse of a child, but when asked if it involved the abuse of a vulnerable adult, he refused to answer.
St. Stephens parishioners and Seattle-area Catholics deserve to know if the “misconduct” referenced in Étienne’s letter is the only allegation against Antony. Was the misconduct reported to local law enforcement? If so, was it reported before Antony returned to India?
When Étienne was confronted by members of CAP regarding subpoenas that were sent to the three Catholic dioceses in Washington State for abuse-related documents and evidence last August, he would not confirm if the archdiocese had cooperated with the Office of the Attorney General.
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Survivors and anti-abuse advocates call on lawmakers to urge AG's office to open clergy abuse reporting hotline
Victims disappointed that newly passed HB 1618 fails to hold perpetrators and the institutions that enabled them accountable
Victims disappointed that newly passed HB 1618 fails to hold perpetrators and the institutions that enabled them accountable
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: MARCH 1, 2024
CONTACT:
Tim Law
ECA Co-founder/Board Member
+1-206-412-0165
timalaw@aol.com
Mary Dispenza
SNAP Northwest Director
+1-425-941-6001
mcdispenza@comcast.net
Yesterday, the Washington State Senate passed HB 1618, legislation that would abolish the civil statute of limitations for child sex abuse victims without providing a “look-back window” that would allow victims previously barred from filing claims to bring lawsuits.
Last week, members of the Catholic Accountability Project (CAP) testified against HB 1618 because the bill does not eliminate the barriers to justice for victims. Tim Law, a Seattle-based attorney and CAP Founding Member said, “The Church has known for many, many decades of the scourge of clergy sexual abuse of our children and the cover-up by its bishops…and yet they have the privilege to be protected by a bill that will not hold them accountable for past sexual abuse of children.”
Peter Isely, a clergy abuse survivor and member of CAP said, “All abuse is in the past. Abuse happening today will be in the past tomorrow…This bill must be retroactive or it eliminates our abuse and suffering because it didn’t happen after this June. It erases us.”
CAP commends the legislature’s support for the elimination of the civil statute of limitations on the principle that every child victim deserves justice regardless of when they are ready to file a case in civil court. However, by denying every child victim abused prior to June 6, 2024 this right by failing to include a look-back window in HB 1618, the legislature is punishing victims and exonerating perpetrators and their institutions.
Discovery documents and depositions of Church officials, compelled through civil litigation, have constituted some of the greatest sources of evidence of the institutional complicity of the Church in perpetuating widespread sexual abuse of children. Because the legislature has failed to include a look-back window allowing this litigation, this evidence could remain concealed from justice officials and the public.
HB 1618’s passage only underscores the urgency for Attorney General Bob Ferguson to obtain tens of thousands of pages of documents and evidence from Washington State’s Catholic dioceses related to clergy sexual abuse and its institutional concealment. Last month, CAP announced that Ferguson’s office had sent subpoenas to Archbishop Étienne of Seattle, Bishop Tyson of Yakima, and Bishop Daly of Spokane, for these records in August 2023. Neither Ferguson nor Étienne, who was confronted last month by abuse victims and advocates, would confirm if the Catholic Church has cooperated with the subpoenas.
CAP is calling on legislators to support survivors’ calls for the Office of the Attorney General to open a hotline and confidential online reporting system where victims, witnesses, and whistleblowers can report abuse and cover-up.
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Survivors and anti-abuse advocates testify against “child victims act” with no retroactive look-back window
Current legislation would fail to hold perpetrators and the institutions that enabled them accountable.
Current legislation would fail to hold perpetrators and the institutions that enabled them accountable
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: FEBRUARY 22, 2024
CONTACT:
Tim Law
ECA Co-founder/Board Member
+1-206-412-0165
timalaw@aol.com
Mary Dispenza
SNAP Northwest Director
+1-425-941-6001
mcdispenza@comcast.net
At this afternoon’s hearing before the Washington State Senate Ways and Means Committee, clergy abuse survivors and advocates of the Catholic Accountability Project (CAP) testified against HB 1618, legislation that would abolish the civil statute of limitations for child sex abuse victims without providing a look-back window that would allow victims previously barred from filing claims to bring lawsuits.
Child sexual abuse is one of the most underreported crimes in the country, and CAP commends the legislature for proposing to eliminate the statute of limitations that currently keeps thousands of Washington State survivors from pursuing justice through the courts. The average age at which a child sex abuse victim reports their abuse is 52. With a civil statute of limitations of just three years, the vast majority of victims have been unable to file lawsuits. HB 1618, would change this for any child who is raped or sexually assaulted after June 6th, 2024. However, without a lookback window that allows every child sexual abuse victim a chance to bring their civil case before a court, this legislation does not eliminate the barriers to justice for victims.
The Washington State legislature has demonstrated robust support for the elimination of the civil statute of limitations on the principle that every child victim deserves justice regardless of when they are ready to file a case in civil court. By denying victims this right by failing to include a look-back window in HB 1618, the legislature is punishing victims and exonerating perpetrators and their institutions based on budgetary speculation provided by the Office of the Attorney General regarding the number of cases that could be filed against state agencies.
According to Child USA, including retroactive look-back windows “has not resulted in an avalanche of cases or false claims.” As of December 2023, Child USA asserts that “no state that enacted a window has had a case that involved false claims in the courts.”
Last week, CAP publicly announced that subpoenas were sent from Attorney General Ferguson’s office to Washington State’s three Catholic dioceses seeking documents related to clergy sexual abuse and its institutional concealment. Neither the Attorney General Ferguson, nor Archbishop Étienne who spoke to victims last week, have confirmed whether the Catholic Church has cooperated with the subpoenas.
CAP members had a conversation with Archbishop Étienne on Wednesday afternoon about the AG subpoenas and a recent case of a priest removed from a Renton parish.
With no information about the results of an investigation into the clergy abuse and cover-up detailed in these tens of thousands of pages of documents and evidence, the Washington State legislature must not deny clergy abuse victims the right to bring civil suits against their perpetrators and Church officials who enabled them.
“The Church has known for many, many decades of the scourge of clergy sexual abuse of our children and the cover-up by its bishops…and yet they have the privilege to be protected by a bill that will not hold them accountable for past sexual abuse of children,” said Tim Law, Seattle-based attorney and CAP Founding Member. Peter Isely, a clergy abuse survivor and member of CAP said, “All abuse is in the past. Abuse happening today will be in the past tomorrow...This bill must be retroactive or it eliminates our abuse and suffering because it didn’t happen after this June. It erases us.”
See video of CAP Member testimonies starting at 1:31:55
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Because of questions rising from AG subpoenas, House committee must strike “penitent communication” exemption from mandatory reporting bill
Archbishop Étienne will not say if Catholic dioceses have cooperated with requests for abuse-related documents
Archbishop Étienne will not say if Catholic dioceses have cooperated with requests for abuse-related documents
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: FEBRUARY 15, 2024
CONTACT:
Tim Law
ECA Co-founder/Board Member
+1-206-412-0165
timalaw@aol.com
Mary Dispenza
SNAP Northwest Director
+1-425-941-6001
mcdispenza@comcast.net
WHEN: 8:00am, Friday, February 16, 2024
WHERE: O’Brien Building, Room D, 504 15th Ave SW, Olympia, WA 98501
WHAT: On Friday morning, clergy abuse survivors and advocates from the organizations Catholic Accountability Project (CAP), Ending Clergy Abuse (ECA), and the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (SNAP) will testify in opposition to SB 6298, “an act relating to the duty of the clergy to report child abuse or neglect,” before the Washington State House Human Services, Youth, & Early Learning Committee.
WHY: Opposition to the penitential communication exemption in the bill is especially urgent given revelations this week regarding Attorney General Bob Ferguson’s subpoenas to Washington State’s Catholic bishops last August for documents related to clergy sexual abuse.
CAP members had a conversation with Archbishop Étienne on Wednesday afternoon about the AG subpoenas and a recent case of a priest removed from a Renton parish.
Both Attorney General Ferguson and Archbishop Étienne of the Seattle Archdiocese did not deny that the subpoenas were issued. When questioned by members of CAP following the Ash Wednesday service at St. James Cathedral in a recorded interaction, Étienne would not say whether the Catholic dioceses of Washington State had cooperated with any requests for documents and evidence.
Furthermore, when asked about Father Arulanandam Robert Antony, H.G.N., a priest removed from St.Stephens in Renton last December for a violation of the Safe Environment Code of Conduct, Étienne admitted for the first time on Wednesday that Antony was under canonical investigation by the Vatican. The Archbishop did not share this information in his letter to the St. Stephens congregation in December.
In a clergy mandatory reporting bill introduced last year, (SB 5280), the House Human Services, Youth, and Early Learning Committee made an amendment to remove the penitential communication exemption. Survivors’ organizations are urging the committee to again amend the legislation striking this privilege from the bill.
Survivors and advocates will be available for comment following the hearing.
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Survivors and anti-abuse advocates to hold vigil outside of Ash Wednesday service at St. James Cathedral
Victims have invited Archbishop Étienne to pray with them for repentance for the harm caused by sexual abuse
Victims have invited Archbishop Étienne to pray with them for repentance for the harm caused by sexual abuse
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: FEBRUARY 13, 2024
CONTACT:
Tim Law
ECA Co-founder/Board Member
+1-206-412-0165
timalaw@aol.com
Mary Dispenza
SNAP Northwest Director
+1-425-941-6001
mcdispenza@comcast.net
WHERE: St. James Cathedral, 804 9th Ave, Seattle, WA 98104
WHEN: 12:45pm, following the 12:10pm Ash Wednesday service
WHAT: Clergy abuse survivors and advocates holding photos of victims at the age they were abused, candles, and signs calling for accountability for abuse. The group will distribute flyers informing parishioners of recent steps they believe have been taken by Attorney General Bob Ferguson to investigate abuse.
WHY: Survivors of clergy abuse and anti-abuse advocates will gather outside St. James Cathedral in downtown Seattle following the 12:10pm Ash Wednesday service on Wednesday, February 14th to call Church leaders to atonement for their ongoing enabling and covering-up of abuse. The group has invited Archbishop Étienne to pray with them for repentance for the harms caused by sexual abuse.
Read Catholic Accountability Project’s invitation to Archbishop Étienne
The Catholic Accountability Project, led by lay Catholics committed to fighting for justice for survivors, is organizing the vigil to provide a space for survivors, advocates, and concerned Catholics to come together, reflect on the impact of abuse, and stand in solidarity for change.
The vigil will feature testimonials from survivors of clergy abuse and those who have fought alongside them emphasizing the urgent need for transparency, accountability, and cooperation with law enforcement investigations into abuse and cover-up.
Earlier today, Catholic Accountability Project held a press conference outside the Office of the Attorney General in Olympia commending Attorney General Ferguson for issuing subpoenas they believe were sent to Washington State’s three Catholic dioceses last August. The group urged victims, witnesses, and whistleblowers to contact Ferguson’s office to register their support for a statewide investigation, report their abuse, and share any other relevant information and evidence.
AG Ferguson has issued statewide subpoenas to Catholic dioceses, victims’ groups believe
Anti-abuse groups urge survivors and whistleblowers to call AG office
Anti-abuse groups urge survivors and whistleblowers to call AG office
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: FEBRUARY 12, 2024
CONTACT:
Tim Law
ECA Co-founder/Board Member
+1-206-412-0165
timalaw@aol.com
Mary Dispenza
SNAP Northwest Director
+1-425-941-6001
mcdispenza@comcast.net
On Tuesday, February 13th, the Catholic Accountability Project (CAP) will hold a press conference outside Attorney General Ferguson’s office to discuss the subpoenas they believe were sent to Archbishop Étienne of Seattle, Bishop Tyson of Yakima, and Bishop Daly of Spokane last August seeking abuse-related documents and evidence.
The Catholic Accountability Project is a new Washington State-based initiative formed of lay Catholic leaders calling for justice for survivors of clergy abuse.
WHEN: Tuesday, February 13th, 11:00am
WHERE: Office of the Attorney General, 1125 Washington St SE, Olympia, WA
WHAT: A press conference featuring survivors of abuse in faith-based organizations and advocates holding signs with photos of offenders and victims and delivering a letter to Ferguson’s office supporting the AG’s action and urging victims and whistleblowers to report.
WHY: Based on information from a highly credible source, victims groups believe Attorney General Bob Ferguson has taken the action of serving subpoenas upon the three bishops of the three dioceses in Washington State. If so, Ferguson has joined 23 other state attorneys general, both Democrats and Republicans, in investigating sexual abuse in faith-based organizations.
These subpoenas are believed to be in the form of civil investigative demands, pursuant to the Washington State Charitable Trust Act. The Charitable Trust Act gives the Washington State Attorney General the authority to “facilitate public supervision” of public charitable trusts…and to clarify and implement the powers and duties of the attorney general.” This legislation gives Ferguson the necessary power to investigate nonprofit institutions such as the Catholic Church.
Survivors and advocates are urging Ferguson to do the following:
Immediately establish a confidential hotline and online reporting system, as has been done in other statewide investigations. This would provide a secure platform for victims, witnesses, and whistleblowers to expose abuse and cover-up within faith-based organizations.
Compel the production of pertinent documents, evidence, and the testimony of leadership in organizations where abuse has transpired.
Pursue, in cooperation with local district attorneys, criminal prosecutions based on evidence uncovered in the course of his investigation
Issue a comprehensive final report to the citizens of Washington State, detailing the Attorney General's findings.
Survivors groups are urging victims, concerned Catholics, and whistleblowers to contact the Office of the Attorney General at 360-753-6200 to register their support for a statewide investigation, report their abuse, and share their experiences and concerns. Additionally, the call extends to those with any other relevant information and evidence.
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Survivor organizations alarmed by loophole exempting clergy from mandatory reporting in new bill
Backtracking in proposed legislation keeps children at risk
BACKTRACKING IN PROPOSED LEGISLATION KEEPS CHILDREN AT RISK
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: JANUARY 25, 2024
CONTACT:
Tim Law
ECA Co-founder/Board Member
+1-206-412-0165
timalaw@aol.com
Mary Dispenza
SNAP Northwest Director
+1-425-941-6001
mcdispenza@comcast.net
On Thursday, January 25th, the Human Services Committee of the Washington state Senate will hold a public hearing on SB 6298, “an act relating to the duty of the clergy to report child abuse or neglect.” This new bill has been introduced following the failure of previous legislation (SB 5280) that included an amendment that made members of clergy mandatory reporters of child abuse - without offering an exception for information about a child that may be at risk for abuse that was obtained during private pastoral communication.
Under pressure from Catholic bishops, state Senate lawmakers have introduced a new bill that bypasses the amendment to the previous legislation brought by the state House Human Services, Youth, & Early Learning Committee, putting the clergy exemption back into the bill. If they succeed, clergy will be effectively exempt from reporting child abuse and neglect to law enforcement.
Seattle-based anti-abuse advocate and Ending Clergy Abuse (ECA) board member Tim Law said, “The vague and verbose language in this new bill effectively obscures any mandate that clergy must report child abuse. It gives the impression that the state is taking action to make churches a safer place for children, while upholding the exemption that has given clergy in Washington state a free pass to legally avoid reporting sexual crimes against children.”
Clergy abuse survivor and Northwest Director of Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (SNAP), Mary Dispenza, remarked, “Child protection laws must be guided by the principle of what is in the best interest of the child - not what is in the best interest of the adult abusing that child or the organization that employs them.”
ECA and SNAP urge Washington state lawmakers to amend the current legislation by adding a clause that abolishes the clergy-penitent privilege in cases where a member of the clergy is made aware of potential child abuse or neglect.
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