Attorneys, abuse survivors urge Illinois lawmakers to address clergy sexual abuse crisis

CHICAGO - Attorneys and victims of clergy sexual abuse are calling on Illinois Lawmakers to do more.

The survivor's network of those abused by priests said the list put out by Attorney General Kwame Raoul's office does not go far enough. 

The AG's office said the investigators found that 451 clergy sexually abused nearly 2,000 children since 1950, which is more than 103 individuals the church had named when the state review began in 2018. 

No new charges have come from the investigation since 73 percent of named offenders are dead and the statute of limitation of the crimes expired years ago. 

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"The impact it's had, you have to look through life with a whole new lens, and it's not a fun one," one victim said.

The victims said more than 150 predators are still hidden.

"All of the information that they have on these priests should be made available to the public, their last known addresses so that if your living next door to them, or they're working with your children, you have the right to know," said Melissa Anderson. 

The victims are hoping more awareness will be brought to this issue. 

A spokesperson with the Attorney General's Office provided the following statement: 

The two goals of Attorney General Raoul’s investigation into child sexual abuse by Catholic clerics were to provide a full public accounting of substantiated child sex abuse by Catholic clergy in Illinois, and to give survivors an opportunity to be heard.  We recognized that many survivors have spent decades working to heal from the trauma they experienced.  The Attorney General’s office is committed to ensuring survivors of crimes have access to critical services that support their recoveries from trauma, and we will continue to work with law enforcement, advocates and legislators to enact policies which accomplish that.