CHICAGO - 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. "The preliminary stages of this investigation have already demonstrated that the Catholic Church cannot police itself," Madigan said. "Allegations of sexual abuse of minors, even if they stem from conduct that occurred many years ago, cannot be treated as internal personnel matters," 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: Bangkok Post December 20, 2018 00:33 UTC