The New York Attorney General's Office has issued civil subpoenas as part of its civil investigation into cases of child sex abuse in the state's Roman Catholic dioceses, a source familiar with the investigation confirmed Thursday.

The investigation, led by the attorney general's charities bureau, is examining whether officials within the Catholic Church potentially covered up allegations of extensive sexual abuse of minors over several years.

The civil probe in New York comes in the wake of a grand jury report in Pennsylvania, which was unsealed on Aug. 14, alleging more than 300 clergy members sexually abused more than 1,000 victims over a period of decades.