Prosecutors say the Archdiocese of Cincinnati has until the end of the week to turn over all records regarding sexual misconduct by priests.

        If the church refuses, prosecutors say they may pursue the records with court orders, grand jury subpoenas and possibly even search warrants.

        “People want to know if criminal offenses occurred and what was done about it,” Hamilton County Prosecutor Mike Allen said Monday. “Was this swept under the rug?

        “The questions we've asked are not unreasonable.”

        Mr. Allen's demand for the records follows the disclosure last week that church officials had “substantiated” several allegations of sexual misconduct involving priests and teen-agers in the past 15 years.

        Archbishop Daniel Pilarczyk said fewer than five of the accused priests remain with the archdiocese, but he refused to identify them or describe their positions with the church.

        A similar disclosure Monday by the Diocese of Covington, which is independent of Cincinnati's archdiocese, raised concerns among Kentucky prosecutors.

        In a written statement, church officials said three priests remain in the 10-county Covington diocese despite allegations of sexual misconduct involving teens.

        Church officials say they notified “civil authorities” about the allegations, but they would not say if that meant they called police.

        “What we'd desire is that they disclose who these individuals are and where they are,” said Kenton County Attorney Garry Edmondson. “Just because they are priests, they should not get special treatment.”

        Mr. Edmondson said he will consider formally asking church officials for records about those cases.

        Mr. Allen took that step Monday in Cincinnati with a letter to Archbishop Pilarczyk. The letter seeks all records kept by the 19-county archdiocese, including the names of possible victims and the accused priests.

        Mr. Allen said he would keep those records confidential unless his office determines criminal charges should be filed.

        “It is important that law enforcement have the opportunity to make a determination as to whether crimes occurred,” Mr. Allen said in the letter.

        Church officials, however, say they have followed the law and have disclosed all they were required to disclose.

        The Ohio law covering abuse disclosure requires anyone “acting in an official or professional” capacity to report suspected abuse. But the law has changed over the years and was not always so explicit about whether clergy were among those required to report abuse.

        The archdiocese's lawyer, Mark VanderLaan, said some of the Cincinnati cases involve adults who came forward years after they allegedly were abused by priests.

        In those cases, he said, the law does not require disclosure to law enforcement. An opinion last year by the Ohio Attorney General's office seems to support that contention.

        “Mandatory reporting and prompt investigation ... were intended for the protection of children, and they do not apply to alleged abuse or neglect that occurred during the childhood of an individual after that individual has become an adult,” the opinion states.

        But Mr. Allen, a Catholic, said the archdiocese has a legal and moral obligation to open its records to prosecutors. He said church officials in other cities, including Boston, have agreed to do so.

        “For the life of me, I don't know why the archdiocese is resisting,” Mr. Allen said. “What do they have to hide?”

        Prosecutors in several other Ohio counties have asked the same question in recent days. One of them, Warren County Prosecutor Tim Oliver, said Monday he also wants to review archdiocese records and may make a request similar to Mr. Allen's.

        Mr. VanderLaan said church officials will decide within the next few days whether to comply with Mr. Allen's request.

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