ILLINOIS
Patch
By SCOTT VIAU (Patch Staff)
December 22, 2015
JOLIET, IL — Retired Diocese of Joliet Bishop Joseph Imesch has passed away at the age of 84, according to the Diocese.
Imesch served with the Diocese from 1979 until his retirement in 2006.
Despite years of service to the church, Imesch’s legacy is now intertwined with Joliet Diocese priests who were accused of sexually abusing young boys. The Joliet Diocese settled the cases out of court for a total of $4.137 million.
While Imesch was never accused of sexual abuse, depositions showed that he knew about it. The Daily Southtown published a series of articles more than 10 years ago claiming then-Bishop Imesch transferred molester priests and ignored or intimidated parents who came forward with complaints.
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