Hundreds of priests have "sexually abused" children
A law firm in the US state of Illinois has released the names of hundreds of Catholic priests it says abused children in recent decades. Some dioceses have denied the report.
The Chicago law firm of Jeff Anderson has released the names of hundreds of Catholic priests, alleging that they abused countless children over the past half-century.
The aforementioned law firm has represented many children.
American newspapers, which republished the report on Wednesday (March 20), said: "The leaked data shows that in some cases priests continue to sexually abuse children to this day."
The report names 395 clergy, several of whom are nuns or interns.
It is said that in the past, there have been occasional complaints about priests, but instead of investigating the crimes of those individuals, the episcopal circles have transferred them to posts where they still had access to children.
Attorney Jeff Anderson accuses the Chicago Diocese and other Illinois dioceses of not only failing to address these abuses, but also of trying to cover them up.
The violations that occurred were committed over a period of about half a century, and most of the perpetrators have died or retired by now.
Some dioceses have denied the report, and some have said that they have presented every case revealed to judicial authorities.
Source: DW
