Illinois Catholic Bishops Sued for Nuisance; Three Abuse Survivors to Speak Publicly Tomorrow in Chicago

Illinois Catholic Bishops Sued for Conspiracy to Conceal a Public Hazard and Nuisance

Three Sexual Abuse Survivors to Speak Publicly for the First Time About Sexual Abuse and How Their Reports are Being Handled in the Dioceses of Springfield, Rockford and Peoria


(Chicago, IL) – At a news conference on Thursday in Chicago, sexual abuse survivors and their attorneys and advocates will:

  • Announce the filing of a lawsuit against every Catholic Diocese and Bishop in Illinois, and the Illinois Catholic Conference, alleging the maintenance of a public nuisance and a conspiracy to conceal a public hazard by failing to disclose the names and files of clergy accused of child sexual abuse, which creates a present peril;
  • Speak about the Dioceses of Peoria, Springfield, and Rockford’s failures to act on allegations of sexual abuse the survivors’ desire to stop the deceptive practices of the dioceses;
  • Demand all the Illinois Catholic Bishops and the La Salette Missionaries religious order, to come clean by disclosing all the identifies of all priests accused of sexually abusing minors and those who have been credibly accused;
  • Demand the release of the files pertinent to the histories of each priest so the public, police, and parishioners know who was complicit in the ongoing concealment of this hazard;
  • Demand full disclosure of all the credibly accused offenders in the Dioceses of Springfield, Rockford, and Belleville where no disclosures have been made to-date;
  • Invite the Archdiocese of Chicago and Diocese of Joliet, who have already made public disclosures of the priests credibly accused of sexual abuse who are still alive, to release a complete disclosure of all religious order and deceased priests who have offended in their dioceses.

When
Thursday, October 18, 2018 at 11:00 AM (CST)

Where
Marriott Residence Inn Chicago – Downtown/Loop
Daley 1 & 2 (3rd level)
11 South LaSalle Street
Chicago, IL 60603

Watch the event live on our website, on Facebook, Twitter, and on YouTube.

-30-