DES MOINES – Iowa’s Attorney General Tom Miller said this month that his office is gathering information on clergy abuse and meeting with bishops and survivors of abuse.
The Iowa Attorney General’s Office released the following statement on Thursday:
Our office is gathering information about clergy abuse in Iowa and examining our options. Attorney General Tom Miller is appalled by the cases of abuse and coverup uncovered by the Pennsylvania investigation, as well as cases in Iowa that have gone unreported.
We expect all dioceses in Iowa to comply with the U.S. Department of Justice’s request to preserve documents related to abuse and personnel. To learn more about how the Catholic leadership handles abuse claims, the attorney general has met with Bishop Richard Pates of the Diocese of Des Moines, and he plans to meet with the other Catholic bishops in Iowa. In addition, our office has met with survivors of abuse by Catholic priests and gathered information from other abuse survivors.
We invite survivors of clergy abuse to contact our office if they’d like to share their experiences. Victims of all kinds of crime can also get support, 24 hours a day and seven days a week, through the Iowa Crime Victims Helpline (1-800-770-1650 or text “IOWAHELP” to 20121).