Close to 700 U.S. priests accused of abuse

in the Past, the church has itself stated that the 185 priests are being investigated, but an investigation launched in August found additional approximately 500 suspects and a total of 685 accused.

”By choosing not to thoroughly investigate the claims of the catholic church failed in its moral obligation to provide survivors, congregations, and the public, a full and accurate accounting of all sexually inappropriate behavior involving priests in Illinois,” says state prosecutors Lisa Madigan in a statement.

prompted by allegations against over 300 priests in Pennsylvania. There, around 1,000 children have been victims of abuse within the church during several decades. And in October, for the first time, federal authorities in an investigation of abuse committed by priests.

”this investigation has already shown that the catholic church is not able to control himself,” says Madigan about the investigation in Illinois.

, the largest catholic church in Illinois, says that the particular investigated all allegations of abuse.

”Since 2006, we have named the priests against whom there have been substantiated allegations of abuse, and in 2014, we released more than 20,000 documents from these priests acts”, said in a statement.

But Lisa Madigan argues that these allegations were not investigated sufficiently, if even at all. Among the explanations of why they have not taken action mentioned, inter alia, that the designated is deceased or already retired.