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If you were sexually abused as a child by a priest, deacon or any other member of the Catholic Church, you are not alone. We are here to help you. Please fill out our confidential online contact form or call Toll Free 1-866-777-2557 and an Oklahoma Sexual Abuse Lawyer will get back to you within 24 hours to discuss your possible case. Help is available nationwide. There is no cost to investigate and there are no legal fees unless you receive financial compensation. Making the call is sometimes the hardest step, but it is often a necessary step on the road to healing. Catholic Church Sexual Abuse Lawyer Oklahoma
Reasons to call
Please call Toll Free 1-866-777-2557 or fill out our confidential contact form and a lawyer will get back to you within 24 hours to discuss your case. Oklahoma Catholic Church Sexual Abuse Lawyer
Oklahoma Priest Linked to Sexual Abuse Claims
In August 2018, a Pennsylvania grand jury report came out of the Attorney General’s office detailing widespread sexual abuse of minors and coverup by the Catholic Church. States across the U.S. are realizing how the report includes priests that worked not only in Pennsylvania, but in their state as well. Due to the massive problem, many states are taking action and requiring the Catholic churches in their state to produce church documents going back years so they can be reviewed.
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The Oklahoma City Archdiocese announced it had started to review files on every priest who served in their dioceses going back to the 1960s. Up to this point, they have found evidence of one priest who had credible evidence against him. A man sent a letter stating he was sexually abused by a priest in the 1980s while he lived there, and his case was investigated.
The Archbishop of the Oklahoma City Diocese has started to put a plan in motion for reviewing the files and reporting cases of sexual abuse to the authorities. He is estimating the review to take anywhere between 10 and 12 weeks. Once the report is done, he says he will then start reviewing files that are older and go back before the 1960s.
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The Plan
The plan the Archdiocese came up with includes: reviewing each file of active and inactive priests, any files showing abuse or allegations will be turned over to lawyers for review, there will be an independent review of the files, a report will be produced detailing cases and how the church handled them, and the report will be published online.
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Parishioner Responses
A church representative stated this is a terrible time for the church but one that needs to be addressed if the church is to move forward. Parishioners and the public both want transparency and to see sexually abusive priests face prosecution for their crimes.
There is argument throughout the church as to how to respond to the widespread coverup. Some parishioners have called for no longer tithing.
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Others have chosen to only give to their local church and not the diocese. Some have decided to contribute to other charities until the whole mess has come out and there’s credible evidence that the church is taking the proper steps going forward. Regardless of what a parishioner chooses to do, the Catholic Church is seeing numbers of people leave the church and the money donated to the church has significantly declined in recent months.
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