Chicago — Attorney General Lisa Madigan on Wednesday said an investigation by her office discovered that there are at least 500 more Catholic clergy in Illinois, who were abusing children than were previously reported.
Previous information gathered by the six archdioceses claimed to have discovered 185 cases of clergy abusing children. But the Attorney-General’s office says this number is under-reporting abuse cases by at least 500 or more, according to information her office gathered.
After the new information was announced, Kwame Raoul, who was elected in November to serve as the new Attorney-General, released a statement which read, “Today’s news demonstrates the need for ongoing diligence in investigating crimes against children taking place within institutions that do not have a history of unilateral, proactive transparency.
The Church’s disclosure of 45 additional priests credibly accused is disturbing in its scope and its significance, as it becomes increasingly clear that full accountability will not come about voluntarily.
These revelations would not have been made without Attorney General Lisa Madigan´s initiation of this probe. I am committed to continuing this investigation when I begin my term as attorney general, working in close collaboration with state’s attorneys throughout Illinois.”
