The Catholic Church failed to disclose hundreds of accusations of sexual abuse made against priests and clergy members in Illinois, according to an explosive new…
The Catholic Church failed to disclose hundreds of accusations of sexual abuse made against priests and clergy members in Illinois, according to an explosive new report, which was released Wednesday by the state’s attorney general.
At least 500 clergymen are now believed to have been accused of misconduct, which is a far cry from the 185 that Catholic officials originally reported.
“The investigation has revealed that allegations frequently have not been adequately investigated by the dioceses or not investigated at all,” charged the office of state Attorney General Lisa Madigan . “In many cases, the Church failed to notify law enforcement authorities or Department of Children and Family Services of allegations of child sexual abuse.”
Some of the most common reasons for a diocese to not investigate, according to the AG report, was the fact that a clergy was either dead or no longer in the ministry when the allegation first came to light.
“Dioceses failed to investigate allegations for deceased or resigned clergy even when they received allegations from multiple survivors,” the report states. “Failing to investigate deceased or resigned clergy ignores both the impact such a decision has on survivors seeking closure and that an investigation might lead other survivors to come forward. Failing to investigate also makes it impossible to determine whether other clergy, including those who are alive and involved with the church, helped conceal the abuse.
