Auxiliary Bishop Andrew H. Cozzens of St. Paul and Minneapolis said the Catholic Church "desperately needs an independent structure, led by experienced lay personnel, to investigate and review allegations made against bishops, archbishops and cardinals" in an Aug. 31 statement.

The subpoenas seek documents relating to sexual abuse allegations, financial payments to possible victims or the findings from internal church investigations, according to The Associated Press.

A summary of news and analysis on the sex abuse crisis facing the Catholic Church.

In a conversation about sexual abuse in the United States and Australia, Archbishop Mark Coleridge of Brisbane, Australia, told America that “until there is a genuine restoration of trust, no apology is going to land.”

The most common decade of birth for alleged abusers was the 1930s, and the most common decade of ordination was the 1960s. This profile has not changed since the sexual abuse crisis made headlines in 2002.