Illinois Attorney General Issues Comprehensive “Report on Catholic Clergy Child Sex Abuse in Illinois”

Upon his 2018 election to the office of Illinois Attorney General, Kwame Raoul continued and expanded the investigation into Catholic clergy child sexual abuse in Illinois launched by his predecessor AG Madigan. In December 2018, AG Madigan issued a preliminary report that described the undertaking of the AG’s investigation and what was known at that time. (See below for a description of AG Madigan’s preliminary report).

In 2023, AG Raoul issued the “Report on Catholic Clergy Child Sex Abuse in Illinois” which detailed the results of the AG’s investigation that began in 2018 and concluded in 2023 – spanning almost 5 years. The 2023 Report, almost 700 pages, sets forth the shocking prevalence of child sex abuse by Catholic clergy in Illinois and the steps that were taken by the Archdiocese and Dioceses to cover-up the abuse and protect the abusers. The 2018 preliminary report signaled that the extent of Catholic clergy child sex abuse had been grossly understated (see below). The 2023 Report “…revealed claims by at least 1,997 survivors who were sexually abused by the 451 Catholic clerics and religious brothers who are now publicly disclosed in Illinois as substantiated child sex abusers…”