More Accusations Of Child Sex Abuse By Priests In Illinois Uncovered In Report
Accusations of child sex abuse against at least 500 Roman Catholic priests and clergy members in Illinois have never been made public, a preliminary investigation by the state's attorney general has found.
That brings the total number of members in the Illinois dioceses who have been accused of sexually abusing minors to about 690, according to the report released Wednesday. The church previously had made public the names of only 185 accused priests, 45 of whom were added after Attorney General Lisa Madigan's office started investigating in August.
Madigan started her investigation into the Catholic Church after a sweeping grand jury investigation in Pennsylvania uncovered more than 300 "predator priests" statewide who committed "criminal and/or morally reprehensible conduct."
The report out of Pennsylvania was scathing:
Pennsylvania Attorney General Josh Shapiro called it a "systematic cover-up" and a "failure of law enforcement," NPR previously reported. Additionally, the grand jury investigation named the accused priests, something the Illinois attorney general's report did not.
Accusations of child sex abuse against at least 500 Roman Catholic priests and clergy members in Illinois have never been made public, a preliminary investigation by the state's attorney general has found.
That brings the total number of members in the Illinois dioceses who have been accused of sexually abusing minors to about 690, according to the report released Wednesday. The church previously had made public the names of only 185 accused priests, 45 of whom were added after Attorney General Lisa Madigan's office started investigating in August.
Madigan started her investigation into the Catholic Church after a sweeping grand jury investigation in Pennsylvania uncovered more than 300 "predator priests" statewide who committed "criminal and/or morally reprehensible conduct."
The report out of Pennsylvania was scathing:
Pennsylvania Attorney General Josh Shapiro called it a "systematic cover-up" and a "failure of law enforcement," NPR previously reported. Additionally, the grand jury investigation named the accused priests, something the Illinois attorney general's report did not.
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Madigan wanted to see if the same thing was happening in her state. Her office said in a statement that it reviewed thousands of pages of documents voluntarily turned over by each of Illinois' six dioceses and set up a hotline where people could report allegations of sexual abuse by priests.
As Susie An reported for NPR's Morning Edition, Madigan said "one of the things we've seen is that the church really took any opportunity it thought it could not to investigate."
Madigan's office found dozens of examples where the Illinois dioceses "failed to adequately investigate an allegation of clergy sexual abuse it received from a survivor," according to the report.
The investigation revealed that, of the allegations the Illinois dioceses have received, they only "deemed twenty-six percent as 'credible' allegations, meaning seventy-four percent of the allegations were either not investigated, or were investigated but not substantiated."
The reasons the dioceses didn't investigate accusations varied, according to the report. Sometimes the accuser wished to remain anonymous, or the accused priest had left the country, but the most common reason was that the accused had either died or resigned.
The dioceses often discounted allegations that came from just one accuser and "sought to discredit a survivor's allegations based upon the survivor's personal life," according to the investigation.
The archbishop of Chicago, Cardinal Blase J. Cupich, responded to Madigan's initial findings in a statement:
Cupich said it was "difficult to discern" which of the report's findings apply to the Archdiocese of Chicago but defended its efforts to mitigate sexual abuse, claiming to have been at the "forefront of dealing with the issue of clergy sexual abuse for nearly three decades."
Madigan wanted to see if the same thing was happening in her state. Her office said in a statement that it reviewed thousands of pages of documents voluntarily turned over by each of Illinois' six dioceses and set up a hotline where people could report allegations of sexual abuse by priests.
As Susie An reported for NPR's Morning Edition, Madigan said "one of the things we've seen is that the church really took any opportunity it thought it could not to investigate."
Madigan's office found dozens of examples where the Illinois dioceses "failed to adequately investigate an allegation of clergy sexual abuse it received from a survivor," according to the report.
The investigation revealed that, of the allegations the Illinois dioceses have received, they only "deemed twenty-six percent as 'credible' allegations, meaning seventy-four percent of the allegations were either not investigated, or were investigated but not substantiated."
The reasons the dioceses didn't investigate accusations varied, according to the report. Sometimes the accuser wished to remain anonymous, or the accused priest had left the country, but the most common reason was that the accused had either died or resigned.
The dioceses often discounted allegations that came from just one accuser and "sought to discredit a survivor's allegations based upon the survivor's personal life," according to the investigation.
The archbishop of Chicago, Cardinal Blase J. Cupich, responded to Madigan's initial findings in a statement:
Cupich said it was "difficult to discern" which of the report's findings apply to the Archdiocese of Chicago but defended its efforts to mitigate sexual abuse, claiming to have been at the "forefront of dealing with the issue of clergy sexual abuse for nearly three decades."
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He also said in the statement that all reports of sexual abuse are investigated, whether the accused priest is alive or dead, and that, starting in 2002, they have reported all allegations of child sexual abuse to civil authorities, including "historical allegations."
The Diocese of Joliet also responded to the attorney general's report, saying in a statement that the investigation doesn't distinguish between dioceses and that they have received "no formal or informal indication from the Attorney General that we failed to adequately investigate any allegation of abuse and/or report it to authorities."
The attorney general said in a statement that the investigation isn't finished and that her office has asked the state's dioceses for additional information.
But some sexual abuse survivors don't think the preliminary investigation goes far enough, according to An, who was reporting for NPR.
"I don't know what to believe out of the Catholic Church. I really don't, because everything's been so secretive and hidden," Larry Antonsen, a leader with the Chicago branch of Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, told NPR.
Decades ago, Antonsen reported a priest who had sexually abused him as a child, but he says he's still waiting for the church to publicly list the man's name. He said he hopes Illinois will launch its own grand jury investigation.
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PEDOPHILES: 2,000 years of Catholic oppression and hypocrisy!
He also said in the statement that all reports of sexual abuse are investigated, whether the accused priest is alive or dead, and that, starting in 2002, they have reported all allegations of child sexual abuse to civil authorities, including "historical allegations."
The Diocese of Joliet also responded to the attorney general's report, saying in a statement that the investigation doesn't distinguish between dioceses and that they have received "no formal or informal indication from the Attorney General that we failed to adequately investigate any allegation of abuse and/or report it to authorities."
The attorney general said in a statement that the investigation isn't finished and that her office has asked the state's dioceses for additional information.
But some sexual abuse survivors don't think the preliminary investigation goes far enough, according to An, who was reporting for NPR.
"I don't know what to believe out of the Catholic Church. I really don't, because everything's been so secretive and hidden," Larry Antonsen, a leader with the Chicago branch of Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, told NPR.
Decades ago, Antonsen reported a priest who had sexually abused him as a child, but he says he's still waiting for the church to publicly list the man's name. He said he hopes Illinois will launch its own grand jury investigation.
Vatican ‘No Comment’ About Hundreds of Predator Priests Abusing 1,000
Children
Catholic Priest Accused of Sexually Abusing Texas Children — Again
Texas police officers arrested a Catholic priest on Tuesday in connection to allegations of sexual abuse of children two decades ago. A young girl had also accused the priest in 2001 of kissing and touching her inappropriately when she was 16.
Father Manuel LaRosa-Lopez turned himself in to Conroe law enforcement officials on September 11 after a court issued an arrest warrant regarding charges that he sexually abused at least two children nearly 20 years ago, the Catholic News Agency reported on Wednesday. A woman accused the priest in 2001 of kissing and touching her inappropriately at the Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Conroe when she was 16-years-old, the Catholic news outlet reported. He is also accused by a now 36-year-old man of sexually abusing him for several years beginning in 1998.
Following the 2001 allegation, Texas authorities and an archdiocesan review board investigated the matter and in 2004, allowed the priest to return to his post. The young girl moved away following the alleged incident but returned in 2010 to find that the priest had been transferred to St. John Fisher parish in Richmond, Texas, the report states. The woman then contacted the archdiocese, which reportedly referred her to counseling services. During that period, she met briefly with LaRosa-Lopez who reportedly apologized.
The 36-year-old man, who also remains anonymous, came forward on August 10 and accused the priest of sexually abusing him for several years from the late 1990s to the early 2000s. The abuse of the boy also allegedly occurred at Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Conroe.
Leadership with the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston said they immediately referred the matter to Children’s Protective Services. The archdiocese claims the priest denies the allegations.
“We take these matters very seriously, which is why we reported the information we received from both individuals to CPS – and removed Father LaRosa-Lopez from ministry,” officials stated. They did not say when they removed the priest, the Catholic News Agency stated.
The man who is accusing the priest said Cardinal Daniel DiNardo seemed “dismissive” about the allegations, KHOU CBS11 reported. After meeting with the Cardinal on the afternoon of August 10, the male accuser’s notes reportedly said: “Cardinal seemed dismissive of the situation.” He also jotted down a “quote” from Cardinal DiNardo where he allegedly said, “You should have told us sooner.”
The man told KHOU, “It was a dismissive tone. In the back of my head, I was thinking about his comment. I was so mad afterward.”
The Texas Legislature changed the law regarding the statute of limitations for indecency with a child in 2007, Montgomery County prosecutors told KHOU. They believe that change allows them to move forward with the charges.
The male accuser told KHOU the circumstances of his abuse. KHOU reports:
The male victim said he became interested as a teenager in joining the clergy and going to seminary. He started to attend Mass and got to know LaRosa-Lopez. Eventually, he got a job where he worked nights at Sacred Heart as an assistant.He remembered LaRosa-Lopez being known as “touchy-feely,” and that the priest’s contact with him became more physical over time: first touching on the arm, then hugging, then a kiss on the cheek.One night, he said, the priest showed him pictures of young seminarians that “he had a lot of fun with,” and tried to take the teenager’s clothes off and put his hands down his pants. He pushed back and quickly left the residence.
The female accuser told the local CBS affiliate that she met the priest during a weekly confession session at the parish. She said he befriended her and “basically was my only friend.” She did not disclose the details of her encounters with the priest but said that he touched her inappropriately shortly before Easter after she turned 16.
She said that when she learned that LaRosa-Lopez had been assigned to the Richmond parish, she returned to the archdiocese with her accusation.
KHOU reports:
She contacted the church and started to meet with a therapist paid for by the archdiocese. Eventually, she met with DiNardo and other top clergy in the diocese. She says they told her that after she had come forward, LaRosa-Lopez was sent to a hospital for psychiatric treatment twice and that would no longer be allowed to work with children.Then LaRosa-Lopez was brought in for about 10 minutes, she confronted him about the abuse and he apologized.
She said she later learned that the priest was still with the St. John Fisher parish in Richmond — in the presence of children.
“I’m tired of all of his empty words,” she said referring to Cardinal DiNardo. “If he’s going to go meet with the Pope and pretend that all of this is OK and his diocese is clean, I can’t stand it. I can’t be quiet.”
Father LaRosa-Lopez is charged with four counts of indecency with a child by sexual contact. Officials released the priest on a $150,000 bond. The criminal complaint obtained by KHOU is attached below. A judge in the 359th District Court will hear the case.
Bob Price serves as associate editor and senior political news contributor for Breitbart Texas. He is a founding member of the Breitbart Texas team. Follow him on Twitter @BobPriceBBTX and Facebook.
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