Public Comment

On May 23, 2023, the Illinois Attorney General issued a report that 1,997 children in Illinois were sexually abused by 451 Catholic priests as well as religious brothers, a pattern of the church failing to support survivors, ignoring or covering up reports of abuse and the church revictimizing survivors who came forward. This troubling report follows similar reports of sexual abuse by clergy of the Archdiocese of Baltimore; and a grand jury report of child sexual abuse and church coverup in six of the eight parishes in Pennsylvania. 

Regrettably, not enough is said about the victims of these pedophile priests who acted criminally by taking advantage of the intimate trust of their youngest and most vulnerable parishioners. But it is also apparent that the Roman Catholic Church itself, rather than acting decisively to end the victimizations and facilitate prosecutions, had engaged in a systematic effort to shield predator priests dating back several decades. Childhood abuse can lead to depression, learned helplessness, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and spiritual damage. 

Unfortunately, there is a statute of limitations on bringing a lawsuit for clergy sexual abuse in most states. Some states, however, have revised these laws to allow victims of child sexual abuse to bring civil claims years after the fact. For example, California has a "lookback window” (Sexual Abuse and Cover-Up Accountability Act) allowing people to sue no matter how long ago the alleged abuse took place. They can file civil suits against their alleged abusers such as priests and the church or other institutions where they worked. A survivors must the lawsuit by December 31, 2026. 

While compensation to victims of child sexual abuse is helpful, but as Romeo Vitelli Ph.D. concluded in his article in Psychology Today, “[I]t's clear that much more needs to be done for the victims of this kind of abuse, both in terms of providing them with support as they open up about what has been done to them as well as treatment to help them move on with their lives afterward." 

In a December 28, 2016, letter to bishops, Pope Francis exhorted them “to adhere to “zero tolerance” so that “these atrocities [sexual abuse of children by priests] will no longer take place in our midst.” However, since his appointment as Pope in 2013, the reports of child sexual abuse clearly indicates that Pope Francis has much work to do to make “zero tolerance” a reality.