The members of the Catholic clergy in Illinois are accused of sexual abuse of children, an investigative report published on Tuesday revealed.
The report mentioned that they have ministered in the church for almost seven decades. At least 1,997 children across the state were sexually abused by more than 450 Catholic clerics across the state.
Kwame Raoul, the attorney general of the office of Illinois, released the 696-page report detailing decades of child sex abuse.
The Illinois Catholic dioceses include the Archdiocese of Chicago and the Dioceses of Belleville, Joliet, Peoria, Rockford, and Springfield.
The report revealed that the probe began in the latter half of 2018 on the heels of a Pennsylvania grand jury report finding that more than 300 Catholic clerics had abused more than 1,000 children in the Commonwealth over the prior 70 years.
Raoul mentioned that the probe aimed at achieving two goals – one is to obtain a full accounting of substantiated child sex abuse and to provide a complete public report of the abusers.
And the second one is to give voice to survivors in an attempt to contribute to their healing journey.
The report mentioned that attorneys and investigators examined thousands of diocesan files. They reviewed more than 100,000 pages of documents held by the dioceses.
The Illinois attorney general also mentioned that they spent countless hours engaged in interviews and conversations with diocesan leadership and representatives.
“I was raised and confirmed in the Catholic church and sent my children to Catholic schools. I believe the church does important work to support vulnerable populations; however, as with any presumably reputable institution, the Catholic church must be held accountable when it betrays the public’s trust,” Raoul said.
In response to the findings, the Archdiocese of Chicago and the dioceses of Belleville, Joliet, Peoria, Rockford, and Springfield issued a joint statement.
Cardinal Blase J. Cupich, the archbishop of Chicago and Metropolitan of the Chicago Province, said, “The Catholic Church in Illinois has been at the forefront of dealing with sexual abuse of minors for many years.”
He further said, “At this time, working with the Office of the Attorney General of Illinois, the leaders of all six Illinois dioceses endeavored to make clear and update our approach, mindful of our lived experience and best practices in this field.”
“Our common goals in doing so are to ensure we offer pastoral support to those affected by this tragedy and to work diligently to prevent it from occurring again,” he added.
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