The Illinois Attorney General has released a report detailing decades of child sexual abuse by Catholic clergy in the state. 451 priests and monks were found to have abused nearly 2,000 children.
Juana Summers, host:
A history of mass clerical sexual abuse and cover-ups – that’s what Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raul’s report today finds.
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Kwame Raul: Decades of Catholic leadership decisions and policies have allowed known child molesters to often hide in high-profile places.
Summers: More from NPR’s religion correspondent Jason DeRose. Jason, how widespread was the sexual abuse by this clergyman, did the investigation find?
Jason DeRose, Signed: Well, Juana, this report contains the names and details of 451 Catholic priests and monks who have abused at least 1,997 children across Illinois. And it spans a period of over 70 years. According to the report, only 103 cases of clergy abuse have been documented by various Catholic dioceses in the state on their websites. This is a big difference – 451 vs 103.
In addition to the numbers, the report also contains some truly heartbreaking details of abuse. And it highlights what he calls a disturbing pattern of churches failing to help survivors, ignoring or covering up reports of abuse, and re-victimizing survivors who come forward. It also contains many recommendations on how to deal with future child sexual abuse allegations.
Summers: So, Jason, what about the church? How is the church responding to this?
DeRose: Well, first let me explain that this study covers all six dioceses or archdioceses in Illinois. And the largest diocese, the Archdiocese of Chicago, issued a lengthy statement today. There are concerns that the data are presented in a misleading manner. The archdiocese said those suspected abusers have already been identified, but the report lists many more.
Now, in direct response to the criticism of the church in this report that an outsider should have been involved in overseeing internal abuse investigations, the church has already established an internal review board that includes non-clergymen. , said it did not include persons outside the church. And the archdiocese says abuses have fallen dramatically in recent decades thanks to newly introduced security measures.
Summers: This report from Illinois is the latest statewide investigation, but not the first.
DeRose: That’s right. This kind of inquiry was inspired by an incident in Pennsylvania in 2018. At the time, a lengthy grand jury report was released detailing the truly gruesome verdicts of 300 Catholic priests in the state. Over 1,000 children were found to have been abused by clerics there. At the time, several attorneys general said they were launching their own investigations in light of what was happening in Pennsylvania. Among them was then-Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan.
Summers: So, Jason, it’s been over 20 years since the widespread abuses in the Boston Archdiocese came to light. Why are we still hearing about these incidents after all these years?
DeRose: Well, I think the first answer is time. First, remember that the abuse was made public thanks to a groundbreaking investigation by the Boston Globe at the time. There were also individual trials of clerics, but then law enforcement officials such as prosecutors and attorneys general moved to a more systematic approach to such investigations. So they wanted a broader look at what was going on. And victims of abuse grow up. they seek therapy. They seek counseling and are more likely to come forward.
Now, in the wake of the #MeToo movement, I think it’s also worth noting that many survivors of clerical sexual abuse say they’re talking now because they’re more likely to believe them. As more victims come forward, others are encouraged to come forward and do the same.
Summers: Thank you, NPR’s Jason DeRose.
DeRose: You’re welcome.
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