SEATTLE — Attorney General Bob Ferguson issued a statement following the King County Superior Court's decision to deny his office’s request to enforce a subpoena against the Seattle Archdiocese in an ongoing investigation into the Catholic Church.
“Our fight for survivors of clergy abuse is not over,” Ferguson stated. “We plan to immediately appeal this decision because Washingtonians deserve a full public accounting of the Church’s involvement in and responsibility for the child sexual abuse crisis. As a Catholic, I believe in justice for survivors and I am disappointed by the Church’s lack of transparency. We will do everything we can to uncover the truth and bring a voice to survivors.”
In May, Ferguson announced an investigation into whether three Washington dioceses of the Catholic Church used charitable funds to cover up alleged child sex abuse by clergy. The Attorney General’s Office sent subpoenas to the Seattle Archdiocese, as well as the Dioceses of Spokane and Yakima. The Seattle Archdiocese refused to cooperate, producing only publicly available documents. In response, Ferguson filed a petition in King County Superior Court to enforce the subpoena. No action has yet been taken against the Spokane and Yakima dioceses, but it remains an option.
The Attorney General’s Office holds authority under the Charitable Trusts Act to investigate organizations’ use of charitable funds. The three Catholic dioceses in Washington are organized as "corporation sole," holding assets in trust for religious and charitable purposes. The investigation aims to determine if these funds were used to conceal or facilitate sexual abuse.
There is evidence suggesting that the Seattle Archdiocese was aware of certain priests' abusive behavior but chose instead to protect and support them rather than their victims. Publicly available information indicates that Father Michael J. Cody was known by church officials for decades as a repeat offender but was allowed continued access to new victims through periodic parish relocations while receiving financial support from the church.
Recent reports from various state attorneys general have revealed significantly higher numbers of credible allegations compared with those reported by church authorities themselves.
Including Washington, 23 state attorneys general have announced investigations into the Catholic Church; 27 have not yet done so. Over the past five years, six states have produced detailed reports on their findings with many investigations still ongoing.
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