Illinois Catholic Church Sex Abuse Investigative Report Released

A recent report released by Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul’s office found that child sex abuse claims against Catholic clergy members amounted to more than 1,900 survivors in Illinois. This report was released after a five-year comprehensive investigation into sexual abuse cases in the Catholic dioceses in Illinois. The almost 700-page report contains shocking details about the nature of the widespread abuse and the clergy and lay religious brothers who committed these heinous acts.

The investigation began in 2018 by former attorney general Lisa Madigan. At the time, the six Catholic dioceses in the state only had confirmed 103 clergy as child sex abusers. Attorney General Raoul continued the investigation when he was elected in 2019. As the investigation concluded and with the release of its findings, an additional 348 clergy members were confirmed as child sex abusers, bringing the total to 451. The cases of child sexual abuse took place between 1950 and 2019. Of the 451 clergy members identified in the report, 330 have died.

In the preliminary investigation, the six Illinois dioceses believed that only 26 percent of the allegations they received from survivors were credible. The remaining 74 percent could not be substantiated. This is how the dioceses confirmed that 103 clergy members were child sex abusers. The investigation concluded that the Illinois dioceses did an inadequate and often incomplete investigation into child sex abuse claims. In many cases, they failed to investigate these allegations or to notify Illinois’ child welfare authorities. 

Investigators reviewed more than 100,000 pages of documents provided by the dioceses, which include Peoria, Chicago, Belleville, Joliet, Rockford and Springfield. More than 600 confidential interviews were conducted by investigators who worked with survivors to piece together how far-reaching and widespread the abuse was. 

As part of the release of this report, Attorney General Raoul shared a statement that included, “It is my hope that this nearly 700-page report will provide some closure to survivors of child sex abuse by Catholic clerics by shining a light both on those who violated their positions of power and trust, and on the individuals in church leadership who covered up that abuse.”

Illinois Is Not Alone In Widespread Clergy Sex Abuse 

The Illinois investigation began in 2018 after a Pennsylvania grand jury was presented with evidence that more than 300 priests sexually abused over a thousand children, potentially more, for 70 years. One of the revelations of this grand jury was evidence of how Catholic Church leaders protected clergy accused of sexual abuse. The files presented to the grand jury highlighted a playbook on how to conceal the truth about sexual abuse. Additionally, secret archive files were stored in the church, where the only key to access these files remained in the hands of the bishop. Many files contained euphemisms for the word rape and child sex abuse. When there were accusations of sexual abuse made, it was nearly impossible for the survivor to achieve justice.

After an extensive four-year investigation, a 2019 report about sexual abuse by the Archdiocese of Baltimore priests was released in April. Like the Illinois state investigation, the report is lengthy at nearly 500 pages but contains much of the same key information as Illinois and other states’ investigations. Church leaders worked carefully and diligently to cover up accusations. Survivors were rarely able to seek justice or believed by the Catholic Church. In many cases, the abusers were transferred to other dioceses. The Baltimore Archdiocese is the country’s oldest Roman Catholic diocese. 

The release of this report also drew attention to how prevalent the abuse was. “The staggering pervasiveness of the abuse itself underscores the culpability of the Church hierarchy,” said the report. 

The Baltimore Archdiocese report was kept private for several years until a Baltimore Circuit Court ruled to release a redacted version. It was kept confidential because it contains detailed information from grand jury subpoenas. In the redacted version, 37 accused abusers were removed. The court admitted that it may consider adding additional names at a later date. 

A common thread continues to emerge throughout the investigations of the Illinois Catholic dioceses and other Catholic dioceses across the country. Clergy members were accused of sexual abuse and rarely punished. In many cases, those accused of these crimes kept their positions of power, careers or were simply transferred to a neighboring diocese.

Sex Abuse Lookback Windows

With many investigations underway nationwide, some states have eliminated statute of limitations for filing civil lawsuits for childhood sexual abuse. Others have enacted lookback windows, which pause the statutes, giving survivors time to report their abuse and seek justice. Due to the nature of many survivors’ sexual abuse experiences, they may not be ready or even aware of their abuse before the statute of limitations has passed. 

Sex abuse civil lawsuits and lookback windows are ways in which those who survived childhood sexual abuse can make sense of their abuse and seek justice. Many survivors battle mental health challenges, including suicidal thoughts, depression, anxiety and addiction. Offering additional time and eliminating the statutes for reporting this trauma provides survivors the time and space needed to begin working through their abuse.

If you or a loved one has experienced sexual abuse, know that help is available and that you are not alone. Support groups like RAINN and The National Alliance on Mental Illness HelpLine can help provide resources and connect survivors with peer support. Seeking support from others and pursuing justice as a survivor of child sexual abuse can help provide closure.