JOLIET (IL)
Patch
[The David Rudofski Child Protection Archive – BishopAccountability.org]
Posted by Shannon Antinori (Editor) , April 30, 2014
A year after the Diocese of Joliet released a list of priests who were credibly accused of sexually abusing children, more documents detailing abuse allegations are coming to light.
The new information sheds more light on nine of the 34 priests included on the diocese’s list of credibly accused clergy. Click here to view the list of credibly accused priests.
As part of a legal settlement, the Catholic Diocese of Joliet last year began releasing internal documents related to the accused priest — including files that show that for decades, bishops had been aware of the sexual abuse accusations. More than 7,000 documents were to be released.
Attorney Mark McKenna, whose firm Hurley McKenna & Mertz represents 15 alleged victims who have cases pending against the diocese, said a list created by the diocese’s review board shows that the diocese has been keeping track of allegations against priests at least since the 1960s.
This week, more documents were made public after being released by plaintiff David Rudofski through his Chicago lawyer, Terrence Johnson, as part of his settlement with the diocese.
Rudofski was 8 years old and making his first confession at St. Mary’s Church in Mokena when he was sexually molested by the Rev. James Burnett in the 1980s. He filed a personal injury suit against the diocese in 2007.
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