TOPEKA The Kansas Bureau of Investigation said Tuesday that its opened dozens of investigations into alleged sex abuse by Catholic clergy after 119 people came forward in recent months saying they were victims.
The KBI called for tips from the public in February and continues to seek information. Agents have launched 74 cases so far in 33 counties.
SNAP, the Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests, praised the news in a statement.
We are thrilled at todays announcement, the group said. When people speak up, the authorities will listen, and we hope that this news encourages other survivors both in Kansas and throughout the country to come forward.
Its unclear how long the investigations will take. The KBI said only that the process would be lengthy.
SNAP wrote that we understand that investigations like this take time and we are grateful to officials at the KBI for keeping Kansans informed of their progress.
The KBIs dive into allegations of abuse by priests began at Attorney Generals Derek Schmidts request in February. The agency hasnt released details about when or where the alleged crimes took place.
Kansas has four Catholic dioceses. At least two the Archdiocese of Kansas City Kansas and the Diocese of Salina published lists this year of more than 30 clergy with substantiated allegations of sex abuse.
Both dioceses declined to comment on the KBIs news.
The Diocese of Dodge City provided a statement saying its bishop, John Brungardt, has met with the KBI assistant director and the investigatory task force.
The Bishop is cooperating with the task force, it said, and the Diocese has engaged an independent auditor who is currently in the process of reviewing all clergy files, past and present.
The Diocese said it would provide findings to the KBI and Schmidts office, and work with its Diocesan Review Board to determine how best to share those findings with the public.
That diocese had previously released names of four priests who were the subject of substantiated claims.
The states fourth diocese, Wichita, didnt return a call for comment Tuesday afternoon.
In January, the Diocese of Kansas City Kansas published a report saying it had substantiated claims against 22 clergy for sex crimes against minors committed between the 1940s and the 1990s. Most cases involved multiple allegations.
