Louisiana Attorney General Jeff Landry said this week he would not investigate allegations of sex abuse within the Roman Catholic Church at parishes within the state’s borders, blasting critics who pushed back on that decision and comparing them to the Ku Klux Klan.
The comments were made in the wake of a grand jury report in Pennsylvania, which identified more than 1,000 children who had been allegedly abused by hundreds of priests over a span of decades.
While other states have since followed Pennsylvania’s lead and begun examining accusations of child sex abuse within their own borders, Landry has eschewed such efforts in Louisiana, foisting the burden on local authorities.
In a statement last week, Landry explained that while he was sympathetic to the victims, according to his interpretation of the law, he had no authority to lead a statewide investigation.
“As a practicing Catholic, I wholeheartedly support efforts to root out pedophile priests and end the horrific misconduct by Church authorities,” he said. “Those who sexually abused children and those who covered up their despicable acts should be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.”
