Report finds nearly 2,000 kids abused by Catholic clergy in Illinois over decades

Holy Name Cathedral, the seat of the Chicago Archdiocese.
(Image credit: Kamil Krazaczynski / AFP via Getty Images)

Nearly 2,000 children in Illinois were sexually abused by Catholic clergy over a period of almost 70 years, the state's attorney general said in a report Tuesday. The scope of the abuse was far greater than the Catholic Church had acknowledged in Illinois.

The report, released by Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul, alleged that at least 1,997 children were sexually abused by Catholic clerics in Illinois from 1950 to 2019. The claims of abuse were made against 451 members of the state's six Catholic dioceses. The list of abuse incidents was compiled after Raul's office combed through more than 100,000 historical files and 600 interactions with sources.

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Justin Klawans, The Week US

 Justin Klawans has worked as a staff writer at The Week since 2022. He began his career covering local news before joining Newsweek as a breaking news reporter, where he wrote about politics, national and global affairs, business, crime, sports, film, television and other Hollywood news. Justin has also freelanced for outlets including Collider and United Press International.