Almost 700 Catholic clergy in Illinois accused of sexual abuse: official

[left-of-center2012]

Source: Yahoo news

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.

In a scathing statement, the attorney general's office criticized the Church's handling of the abuse allegations, saying investigations were lacking, and in many cases law enforcement and child welfare authorities were not notified.

"The preliminary stages of this investigation have already demonstrated that the Catholic Church cannot police itself," Madigan said. She added that the church had failed to provide "a complete and accurate accounting of all sexually inappropriate behavior involving priests in Illinois."

Read more: https://www.yahoo.com/news/almost-700-catholic-clergy-illinois-accused-sexual-abuse-233249841.html

[temporary311]

1. The Catholic Church seems to be a massive pedophile ring.

Religious privilege might be the one thing in this country that tops white privilege, because I can't fathom why this organization isn't being raided by police across the country and shut down.

[Wellstone ruled]

2. This is going to get ugly

from what I heard for someone who knows the landscape,

[trev]

3. It's already ugly.

The Catholic Church has a millennia-long history of destroying human lives. IMO, it should be done away with.

[Wellstone ruled]

4. Info came from someone who

knows of what happened in the fifties in his Parish.

[trev]

12. It's been happening for a long, long time.

The Church is an evil organization. It has fucked up more lives than can be counted.

[Wellstone ruled]

18. Sure is.

[DoctorJoJo]

5. I'm Shocked, Shocked I Say!

[shanny]

6. it is really past time for that church to close the doors and call it a millennium.

Seriously.

[Doitnow]

7. Isn't it ridiculous to think that Catholics continue to donate their hard-earned money which

just goes to cover up this horror story! Unbelievable what people do.

[doc03]

8. Most Catholics I know are one issue voters "abortion". What is it they want fresh

meat for the clergy to abuse? What a bunch of hypocrites.

[Drahthaardogs]

10. Actually most elections Catholics favir the Democratic candidate

Obama won the Catholic vote twice. Hillary probably did too. Those are social justice voters, something the Church used to preach before they became Protestant-Light

[olegramps]

13. The Catholic Church was in the forefront in fighting for workers. It has changed.

Catholics used to be far more supportive of Democrats than today. They are obsessed with abortion while neglecting numerous major problems that are having a far more serious affect on working people's lives. Also their campaign against abortion has not any more successful among Catholics than the general population.

[doc03]

19. In this area I think we

have more fundamentalists, they seem to be obsessed with abortion.

[Drahthaardogs]

20. Things changed. The Church used to be blue collar

Working Joe's. Most of the priests grew up in Irish, Polish, Slavic, or Italian families and understood social justice. They served those people.

Hell, the Knights of Columbus was started because Irish kids were being taken from their mothers and put in orphanages because their fathers died and no one would sell life insurance to Irishman.

Then they lost their way and became elites.

The Church wonders why the numbers decline. The left the very people they were supposed to support (among other things)

[appleannie1943]

9. Pennsylvania opened the can and now other states are following their lead.

Hopefully it will put an end to the church shielding pedophiles, not just in the states but also in the rest of the world. And here in Pennsylvania, even though the big investigation is supposed to be over, there is hardly a week that another name is not added to the accused. It is not just priests but the higher ups that shielded them and moved them to fresh parishes giving them access to a different crop that are having a spotlight shone on them. It is one huge sordid mess and the lawsuits have already cause the church to pay out millions of dollars in compensation to the victims. As if money would make the memories and the effects of those memories go away. And how many of the victims have committed suicide?

[Mr.Bill]

11. Can't those who knew about it and covered it up

be charged with obstructing justice?

[Progressive Jones]

14. The problem there is this nation's ridiculous level of "respect" for religious cults,

especially the RC cult. Too many sheep.

[Pisces]

15. This is just Illinois!! It's in every State,Country, Island. Anywhere there are priests!! 3rd world

Countries are even worse. It is beyond disgusting. Why anyone would support these pigs is beyond my comprehension. Pray at home, you don't need a pedophile in robes to bless you or take your confession. They are not worthy of listenening to your confessions. Speak to God directly, the indoctrination and brain washing that goes on in the Church allows for this to continue.

[llmart]

16. Absolutely!

The Catholic Church likes to get them when they're young and innocent and gullible, so they fill their heads with their nonsense while their brains are still being formed and then voila! By second grade they are already confessing their "sins" (what the ever living fuck can a second grader call a sin?).

They need to go away even though I know they won't. I don't think the younger generation of adults believe all their hocus pocus like the older generations do/did.

[Pisces]

17. The Church is losing women, mothers in specific. Without mothers making their children go to

Church or indoctrinating their children you will lose the next generation. This is how the Church is losing around the world. I was raised Catholic but not raising my children with those pedophiles. My chlildren have no connection to the Church, I know many like me.

[llmart]

21. Did you ever watch the Netflix series "The Keepers"?

That was chilling. Also, PBS did an undercover piece on priests, the Catholic church and the Vatican I believe on Frontline and it was disgusting.

I was married to a Catholic and told him before we got married that if we had kids they were never, ever going to Catholic schools like he did. I came to that conclusion early when he told me things about growing up Catholic that I never knew since I never knew any Catholics until I met him. I did make them go to church on Christmas and Easter just to honor his beliefs, but that religion never stuck with them thankfully. Neither one of them is religious. I have a sister who also married a Catholic and who converted for him and then went on to have eight kids. They're all grown now and she told me recently that not one of the eight is religious let alone Catholic, and she sent them all to Catholic schools. Her kids and mine are in their mid to late 40's.