Syracuse, N.Y. - The Syracuse Catholic Diocese says they are fully cooperating with a new sex abuse probe.
Diocese officials say that they were issued a subpoena by the State Attorney General's Office. The New York probe follows a probe in Pennsylvania that outlined more than a thousand victims of child sex abuse by hundreds of members of the clergy.
"The Diocese of Syracuse has received a subpoena from the Attorney General and is ready and willing to work together on the investigation, says spokeswoman Danielle Cummings." "A Memorandum of Understanding already exists with the local District Attorneys of the diocese which has proven to be an excellent working relationship with each of them. The District Attorneys have been made aware of any allegation of abuse of a minor and have been provided with the names of those accused along with their status and any information they may request. Bishop Cunningham will continue to work closely with our local District Attorneys and will cooperate fully with the Attorney General's investigation."
New York along with New Jersey are joining a growing list of states investigating sex abuse by Catholic priests and requesting records from local dioceses. New York's Attorney General has issued subpoenas to all eight Catholic dioceses in New York, while New Jersey's AG has announced a task force to investigate clergy abuse.