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If you were sexually abused as a child by a priest, deacon or any other member of the Catholic Church, you are not alone. We are here to help you. Please fill out our confidential online contact form or call Toll Free 1-866-777-2557 and an Illinois Sexual Abuse Lawyer will get back to you within 24 hours to discuss your possible case. Help is available nationwide. There is no cost to investigate and there are no legal fees unless you receive financial compensation. Making the call is sometimes the hardest step, but it is often a necessary step on the road to healing. Priest Sexual Abuse Lawyer Illinois
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Please call Toll Free 1-866-777-2557 or fill out our confidential contact form and a lawyer will get back to you within 24 hours to discuss your case. Illinois Priest Sexual Abuse Lawyer
Illinois Priest Sexual Abuse Lawyer
Illinois AG Madigan Wants Full Disclosure of Priests Accused of Sexual Abuse
In a bombshell report from a two year investigation of Catholic church leaders in Pennsylvania, a grand jury found excessive abuses spanning the state. Over 1,000 confirmed victims had been sexually abused as children by 301 Roman Catholic priests, while others in the church turned a blind eye to what was going on. The report estimated there were many more victims, numbering in the thousands. Knowledge of the abuse went all the way up to the Vatican. Pennsylvania has six Catholic dioceses in the state and each one had abusive priests throughout the sixty year time frame that was investigated.
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Attorney General for Illinois, Lisa Madigan, is responding to that report by ensuring that Catholic church leaders in her state give a “complete and accurate accounting” of any child sexual abuse that occurred at the hands of priests with local connections as named in the report out of Pennsylvania. Seven such priests were mentioned in the report.
AG Madigan plans to meet with leaders of the Catholic church throughout her state and the Archdiocese of Chicago has already agreed to meet with her. She believes the church has an obligation to give an accurate and complete accounting of any sexually inappropriate behavior or crimes to their parishioners and the public.
Illinois Priest Sexual Abuse Lawyer
The Chicago Archdiocese has stated they will discuss their policies and procedures when it comes to misconduct with the AG and her office. They said that since 2002 they have reported all abuses and allegations to local authorities. However, they didn’t state what had been done in situations like these prior to 2002.
Priest Sexual Abuse Lawyer Illinois
Sweeping it Under the Rug
One priest who was named in the grand jury report out of Pennsylvania is Rev. James Somma who served in Illinois. A victim of his told the grand jury that he had done some work around the Reverend’s home for pocket change which is when the alleged abuse started. He was eventually spending the night or weekends there when he was only 13. The abuse occurred from 1984 to 1992. During those years the priest also visited the boy at his home.
Illinois Priest Sexual Abuse Lawyer
In a report that came out in 1988, it stated that Rev. Somma shouldn’t be allowed to have minors in his home due to the increasing sensitivity of priests and their relationships with children. However, even though it was believed he had already abused four children, Somma was still allowed to continue working as a priest for another 14 years.
Priest Sexual Abuse Lawyer Illinois
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