Almost 700 clergymen in Illinois have been accused of child sexual assault, a far greater number than the Catholic Church had previously disclosed, the Midwestern US state’s top prosecutor revealed Wednesday. Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan said the Church’s revelations that 185 clergy members were credibly accused of sexual abuse fell short of the number her office has uncovered. “The preliminary stages of this investigation have already demonstrated that the Catholic Church cannot police itself,” Madigan said. The Catholic Church has been hit by a series of child abuse scandals in recent years, with widespread allegations of coverups. Jesuits are the largest male religious order in the Catholic Church, with some 16,000 members worldwide who do not fall directly under the Church’s hierarchy.

Source: Egypt Independent December 20, 2018 00:56 UTC