Priest Abuse In Chicago: Study Shows Nearly 60% Of Chicago Parishes Had Pedophile Priests

A new study conducted by three local advocacy groups paints a devastating picture of abuse by priests and other clergy within Chicago--showing that more than half of the Chicago Archdiocese's Catholic parishes have employed priests accused of sexual abuse.

Reform groups Voice of the Faithful, African American Advocates for Victims of Clergy and Sexual Abuse and the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (SNAP) spent five years combing through data for the report--and they believe the number of unreported cases of abuse could make that percentage even larger.

"Almost 60% of the parishes have had a publicly accused predator," SNAP founder and President Barbara Blaine said in a statement. "But the key word is 'publicly accused.' History, psychology and common sense tell us there are dozens and dozens of other offending nuns, seminarians, brothers, priests, bishops and lay employees who have molested or are molesting kids now whose identities are not known. And both groups of child molesters - known and unknown - have been at or worked at the 40% of the Chicago parishes that don't seem to have been affected."

From 1980 to 1990, 57.7 percent of Chicago parishes employed an accused priest, Bob Kopp, vice president of Chicagoland Voice of the Faithful told the Chicago Tribune. The study also showed the same parishes employing multiple accused priests over the years.

Saint Christina Parish on the Southwest Side employed four accused pedophile priests between 1966 and 1993--at least two of them overlapping. Saint Leonard Parish in Berwyn employed five accused pedophile priests between 1967 and 1996 and Saint Aloysius Church in Wicker Park employed five accused priests between 1951 and 1994.

Blaine said in a statement that while she believes nearly every Chicagoland parish has been affected, the study showed that "poor parishes and minority parishes have a disproportionately high percentage of problem priests."

A spokeswoman for the Archdiocese told FOX Chicago that church officials have not seen the study--but question the results.

"From the description of what we have heard, it appears that the analysis and conclusions are questionable," Colleen Dolan of the archdiocese told the Tribune.

Blaine told HuffPost Chicago Monday that the Chicago Archdiocese has consistently underreported cases of abuse, and that SNAP encourages victims of abuse to reach out to advocacy groups--not to the church.

From Blaine's statement:

"Silence protects predators. Silence endangers children. So please don't be silent. Speak up. Ask questions. Help overcome the paralyzing and devastating impact of secrecy, and make this church and this community safer for all."

View the raw data from the Voices of the Faithful study here. It includes accused priests, where they worked and for how long. For more information on how to report abuse, or to contact other victims, visit the SNAP website.

Comments

[Hysterian68]

01:56 PM on 11/20/2010

Chicago prosecutors, and the police, like most in large cities, are for the most part devout Catholics. You aren't going to find these guys sending any violet or scarlet clad pervert protecting prelate to the slammer. They had the chance to do it in Philly years ago and in NYCity, as well as in other cities. The Church hierarchy has them by their spiritual cajones with their endless pious mumbo jumbo, and the pope knows it too.

[Hysterian68]

03:09 AM on 11/15/2010

The only solutions now is for the Pope B16 to force the resignation of all priests and diocesan bishops (ordinaries) worldwide. To be followed by having local parishes elect their replacements from the married deacons and children--girls and boys--capable of reading the liturgy and book of rituals, and have them ordained by auxiliary bishops. Only children now can be trusted and, as Jesus said, "let the little children come on to me. . . ." Only they are worthy. The others are morally tainted whitened sepulchers and cannot be trusted.

[Hysterian68]

01:59 PM on 11/20/2010

Unfortunately, it won't happen until the laity rise up in righteous anger and tell the pope and his hierarchy, "I'm Mad as Hell and I'm Not Going to Take it Anymore". Until then, these pervert protectors will dismiss the media and the calls for reform from anyone. The whole rotten system needs to be closed down and rebuilt by the people themselves with the help a few good clergy. Not too many of the latter left, as they are tools of Rome and will always do the local bishop's bidding.

[xanxia]

03:49 AM on 11/14/2010

Wow. I have been reading too many articles like this and i wonder if any of these priests ever end up with a good jail sentence. I dont know. If these are considered men of God i can honestly I dont know what to believe or think anymore. How can you do this to one of your own?? These lives you've harmed will NEVER be the same again. I have no more respect for these people. Im through. You deserved to be punished like those criminals in death row

[juna]

09:19 AM on 11/13/2010

There is really no appropriate word for the things these people have done to children. The repulsion stinks to high heaven. How can the Church still justify its existence? Yet the Pope keeps advising others how to lead their lives, lives so much more pure and truly loving than the "holy" Church could ever understand.

[Hysterian68]

03:11 AM on 11/15/2010

and sending bishops and archbishops from offending territories is laughable. Boston and New York? Where some of the greatest sex crimes have been committed and covered up consistently over the years. What a travesty.

B16 needs to step down and do so pronto.

[Rayosun]

04:47 PM on 10/17/2010

Guess whom the US Conference elected as their president in recent years.

Anybody guess Francis George, Cardinal Archbishop of Chicago (from 2007 to the present, according to Wikipedia)?
See why I've published an expose of the R.C. church at http://JesusWouldBeFurious.Org/

[PC0207]

12:11 PM on 10/14/2010

"A new study conducted by three local advocacy groups paints a devastating picture of abuse by priests and other clergy within Chicago--showing that more than half of the Chicago Archdiocese's Catholic parishes have employed priests accused of sexual abuse"

And they needed a study for this?!

[DrBillo1]

11:06 PM on 10/13/2010

a whole change must take place within the catholic church--so many answers are placed on faith only-old men run a 21st century church like the one developed in the stone age--of course the church will answer-have faith and nothing will be answered or made accountable

[ChristopherAtom]

06:10 PM on 10/13/2010

We are greater than the gods we created, but some of us hide in the cloister of piety and purity, meanwhile; consumed by carnal lust. The temptation to abuse without punishment is overwhelming to some of us and far too easy to rationalize by those of us "touched" by god. This is what we get for begging for forgiveness from a god and savior of our own making. Cry out for forgiveness to the void and it's echo will ring on forever, over and over, in a series of never ending waves of perversion.
We are amazing majestic creatures capable of incredible acts of survival and achievement unmatched by any god. I wouldn't trade a single human life for the empty vapidness of godhood.
What dose religion offer? Love? If there was no god would you stop loving your child? Would you stop loving your spouse? Dose it offer charity from it's gilded houses swaddled in silk and satin? Dose it offer fear of flame and pain in the bowels of Satan's domain cast down by a loving god? Should we not pray for His salvation and put evil to rest?

All religion has to offer us is self loathing.

Shut it down.

Sell the church.

[elkhawk]

12:01 PM on 10/13/2010

And they wonder why the non-religious like myself have a problem with religion. Catholics molesting children. Evangelicals hating gays and wanting children brought into this world regardless of how they were conceived. Sick!!!!

[Aldyth]

11:56 AM on 10/13/2010

Doing God's work, one child at a time.

And the Pope wonders why he has no credibility.

[rougebaisers]

11:17 AM on 10/13/2010

Oh they just go to confession and say 10 our fathers and 10 hail mary's and all is forgiven, right?

[MAKU]

10:14 AM on 10/13/2010

I'm not going to generalize b/c I am sure there are good priests out there and I am sure their religion is not telling them to molest kids. But, seriously people of all faiths need to stop using their religion to do these bastardly acts!

[crookedcountyillinois]

09:33 AM on 10/13/2010

This one's simple: shut down those parishes.

[VOTER]

09:11 AM on 10/13/2010

DISGUSTING!

And yet, Illinois Catholics still give money to their parish churches.
For God's Sake, withhold all contributions for the next 3 months and
then and only then will the Catholic Leadership here and at the Vatican
consider doing the right, lawful and Christian thing.

I mean what does it take to stop being a Lemming?
Do you really think God wants you to support criminals?
Does this criminality have to strike your family before you are willing
to do something?

[INVet]

09:04 AM on 10/13/2010

The solution for the Church is simple
We must become more like the anglican church with elected leadership and participation in the clergy by all representatives of its population. To say that sexually repressed individuals (celibate priests) are not a root cause of this problem is willful ignorance. We need married and women priests NOW in the Catholic Church if we are to have any relivance in the modern world.