A study by a coalition of abuse victims advocacy groups shows that more than half of Chicago’s Catholic parishes have had a priest who was accused of sexually abusing children over a period of nearly 90 years.The study looked at assignments made between 1917 and 2009 of priests accused of abuse, the Chicago Tribune reports.
“We need to start talking about this and … not bury it under the carpet,” said Bob Kopp, vice president of Chicagoland Voice of the Faithful, one of the groups involved in the study.
A spokeswoman for the Archdiocese of Chicago said officials have not seen the study but, told of the report’s highlights, questioned its conclusions.
“From the description of what we have heard, it appears that the analysis and conclusions are questionable,” said Colleen Dolan of the archdiocese in an e-mailed statement.
“The priests referred to in the … report have all been removed and are not in ministry in the Archdiocese of Chicago.”
SIC: CTH/ASIA