A searing report published Wednesday by Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan claims the Roman Catholic Church withheld more than 500 names of clergy accused of sexually abusing minors. Madigan’s investigation also looked at six Illinois dioceses ― the Archdiocese of Chicago, and the dioceses of Belleville, Joliet, Peoria, Rockford and Springfield. She found that, though the dioceses had publicly identified 185 clergy members who had been “credibly” accused of child sexual abuse, there are more than 500 others whose names were withheld and who were not investigated. The six dioceses have, in total, received allegations of sexual abuse against about 690 clergy, Madigan’s report found. The Archdiocese of Chicago released a lengthy statement responding to Madigan’s report, detailing its efforts to respond to allegations against clergy members and support victims of abuse.

Source: Huffington Post December 20, 2018 00:56 UTC