JOLIET (IL)
NBC Chicago
[with video]
[The David Rudofski Child Protection Archive – BishopAccountability.org]
[Joliet diocese]
[Abuse by Clergy in Chicago]
By Charlie Wojciechowski | Wednesday, Apr 30, 2014
Five lawsuits were filed Wednesday against the Joliet Diocese alleging sexual abuse by four priests dating back as far as the 1950s.
The accusers’ attorneys released thousands of documents they say shows a pattern of protecting priests at the expense of their young victims.
“In each case, because the Diocese of Joliet in the past and to the present has, in our view, failed to protect the children and have failed institutionally to do the right thing,” attorney Jeff Anderson said.
The cases were made possible by a settlement clergy abuse survivor David Rudofski made with the Diocese in which he demanded that more than 7,000 pages of secret files be released detailing cases involving 16 priests.
“It’s not over, but I feel a small sense of relief that these documents are the first step in trying to make things better,” Rudofski said.
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