A Boston attorney who is representing a number of people who allege they were abused by priests in the Rochester Roman Catholic Diocese, is praising New York's Attorney General for launching a civil investigation into the state's Catholic dioceses handling of such allegations.
Mitchell Garabedian says the investigation will reveal results that are similar to those found in Pennsylvania.
The Rochester Diocese has issued a statement saying it has a long standing policy of cooperating with law enforcement, and that will continue through this process.
But Garabedian says he has found no evidence of that.
"You're dealing with an entity, the Catholic Church, which has allowed the wholesale sexual abuse of children for decades upon decades while the Church has covered it up. I have no reason to believe that the diocese of Rochester was not a participant in the cover up," he said.
In response, the Rochester Diocese is reiterating its statement from yesterday that says it will continue to cooperate with law enforcement, and it lets authorities know about allegations made about the sexual abuse of a minor.
Spokesperson Doug Mandelero adds a detailed list of initiatives to protect children can be found at https://www.dor.org/wp-content/uploads/Update-on-Safe-Environment-Efforts2018.pdf