Three months into a state investigation of child sexual abuse by Roman Catholic clergy, Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan on Thursday said that the number of violators “is more extensive than the Church previously has disclosed to the public.”
Attorney General Madigan’s “initial review” has found priests with “credible allegations of sexual abuse against minors” that were not made public by Illinois dioceses. The attorney general began investigating sexual abuse cases, and whether there were hidden-or secret-files on church employees, at each of the state’s six dioceses including Chicago.
The early Thursday statement by Madigan was the first substantive release of information since her office began looking into church records after an explosive Pennsylvania grand jury report last summer found hundreds of previously undisclosed priest/violators including at least seven with connections to Illinois.
“Since then, several of the Illinois dioceses have publicly disclosed additional names of priests who have been credibly accused of abuse against minors” Madigan stated. “So far, the Archdiocese of Chicago has disclosed ten additional names, the Diocese of Peoria has disclosed three additional names, and the Diocese of Rockford has disclosed 11 additional names.”
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