Grand Island Diocese responds to Attorney General's subpoena

The Diocese of Grand Island said they don't think the subpoena from the Nebraska Attorney General was necessary, but said they'll continue to cooperate.

The Attorney General's Office announced Tuesday they subpoenaed more than 400 Roman Catholic churches and institutions across the state for any records related to child sexual assault or abuse.

The Grand Island Diocese released a statement Tuesday acknowledging they received a subpoena.

The office of the Nebraska Department of Justice said they appreciate the churches' voluntary cooperation, but said "subpoenas are necessary in order to ensure all reports of impropriety have been submitted to the appropriate authorities."

The statement from the Grand Island Diocese is as follows:

"The Grand Island Diocese acknowledges it has received subpoenas from the Nebraska Attorney General’s Office requesting records related to any allegation of abuse of children. A subpoena is a commonly used legal tool to define the parameters of the inquiry."

"While we don’t believe subpoenas were necessary, we will continue to share information with the Nebraska Attorney General’s Office to bring this investigation to a conclusion. The Diocese is committed to the protection of children and safety of all, and to that end, has cooperated with the Nebraska Attorney’s Office in a voluntary review of files."