The Latest: California reviews dioceses' sex-abuse response

By The Associated Press May 3, 2019 at 6:33pm

LOS ANGELES (AP) — The Latest on California reviewing how Catholic dioceses handled sex-abuse allegations (all times local):

6:30 p.m.

The California attorney general’s office will review how all 12 Roman Catholic dioceses in the state handled allegations of child sex abuse.

A spokesman for the Sacramento diocese tells the Sacramento Bee that Attorney General Xavier Becerra sent letters out Thursday asking the dioceses to preserve documents relating to clergy sex abuse. One letter indicated the disclosure would be voluntary.

The Sacramento diocese and the Archdiocese of Los Angeles indicated that they will cooperate.

Dioceses around the country have faced lawsuits and accusations that officials ignored clerical sex abuse or swept it under the rug.

The LA archdiocese alone has paid out about $740 million in settlements to victims. Several dioceses around the state have released lists naming dozens of priests that over the years and decades had been credibly accused of sex abuse.

Last November, Becerra urged victims to submit complaints of clerical sex abuse to his office.

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4:34 p.m.

The California attorney general’s office will review how the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Los Angeles handled allegations of child sex abuse.

The Los Angeles Times says Attorney General Xavier Becerra notified Archbishop Jose Gomez of the review in a letter Thursday asking the archdiocese to preserve documents relating to clergy abuse allegations.

In a statement, the archdiocese says it continues to fully cooperate with all civil authorities.

The archdiocese has paid $740 million in settlements to victims. Last year, it raised its tally of accused priests to 323.

It’s one of many around the country that have faced lawsuits and accusations that officials ignored clerical sex abuse or swept it under the rug.

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