Illinois Attorney General: Catholic Church Under-Reported Abuse Claims

Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan recently made some startling accusations against the Catholic Church. According to Madigan, the Church has failed to report a substantial number of cases of alleged sexual abuse of children. She said that the Church has reported 185 cases, but failed to report at least 500 other cases across the state.

TROUBLING FINDINGS

Madigan said that her office opened a probe in August 2018 regarding alleged abuse of minors by Catholic clergy in the state of Illinois. She said that Catholic leaders have failed to thoroughly investigate allegations – often times, Madigan said, they have failed to conduct any investigations whatsoever.

Catholic dioceses across the country have been under pressure to reveal the true scope of the abuse scandals, with many of them publishing lists of priests accused of improper conduct with minors. The issue Madigan and others have regarding these lists is that they don’t go far enough.

The main issue is that the Church only releases names of clergy when it involves a “credible” allegation. The Church has not established any sort of standard regarding what a “credible” accusation really is. As a result, critics believe Catholic leaders have failed to be truly transparent. The Church, critics believe, is stalling because it simply does not want to acknowledge the depth of the crisis.

Madigan stated that the six Catholic dioceses in Illinois have added nearly 50 names to the lists of priests facing credible allegations.

If you or someone you love has been the victim of abuse by someone in a position of authority, whether it involves the Catholic Church or any other institution, Baron & Budd may be able to help. Please contact us online or call (866) 691-7631 to learn more.