At least 1,997 children abused by Catholic clergy in US state of Illinois: Investigation

By Michael Hernandez

WASHINGTON (AA) - A report from the US state of Illinois' top law enforcement official released Tuesday found at least 1,997 cases where children were sexually abused by Catholic clergy members since 1950.

The report, released by Attorney General Kwame Raoul, marks the conclusion of a nearly five-year investigation into the Church by state officials. It covers substantiated abuse claims across Illinois' six dioceses, including the Archdiocese of Chicago.

In all, the report identified 451 credibly accused child sex abusers, including Catholic clerics and religious brothers, during the past seven decades. Prior to the report's publication, the Catholic Church listed just 103 substantiated child sex abusers.

"Decades of Catholic leadership decisions and policies have allowed known child sex abusers to hide, often in plain sight," Raoul said in a letter accompanying the 696-page report.

"Because the statute of limitations has frequently expired, many survivors of child sex abuse at the hands of Catholic clerics will never see justice in a legal sense. It is my hope that this report will shine light both on those who violated their positions of power and trust to abuse innocent children, and on the men in church leadership who covered up that abuse," he added.

The findings were based on information received from more than 600 people whose identities have not been publicly disclosed. That information was then handed to state investigators who examined the claims and "worked closely with survivors to draft narrative accounts of their experiences as children sexually abused by clerics," according to the attorney general.

The state investigation was kicked off following a separate grand jury probe in the state of Pennsylvania that found over 300 Catholic clerics had abused more than 1,000 children during the past seven decades.