We know that the lives of many individuals have been forever changed because of priest abuse. We know that as a society we have an obligation to make sure that this type of abuse ends. But did we know that:
- More than 4,390 individual Catholic priests were accused of abuse from 1950-2002 according to a report by the John Jay College of Criminal Justice. The number of victims is much higher since the majority of priests (about 56%) abused more than one victim.
- The police were only notified of 24% of alleged abuse incidents according to the John Jay College report.
- 81 percent of the victims of Catholic priests were male children according to the Catholic News Service
- Father John Geoghan was accused of sexually abusing more than 130 people in six different parishes over his 30 year career before he was defrocked and ultimately killed in prison, according to CNN
- Donald McGuire, a defrocked priest, recently received a sentence greater than that suggested by the federal sentencing guidelines by a U.S. District Court Judge because of his “abhorrent” acts. The abuse he inflicted on children lasted for at least forty years with some allegations coming from abuse in the 1960s and other allegations as recent as 2003. Dozens of boys have accused McGuire of abuse, according to the Chicago Tribune.
These facts illustrate the scope of the priest abuse problem. However, if you or your child has been a victim of priest abuse then you may need the individual assistance of an Illinois priest abuse attorney. Please contact us today for a free and confidential consultation so that you can determine if we can help you.