Media Statements

A prominent Opus Dei priest was sent to Chicago following a sexual abuse settlement in another diocese. Now, survivors and advocates are asking Chicago’s top catholic official to disclose if any other priests, nuns or brothers have been transferred into Chicago following abuse complaints.

For immediate release: January 8, 2019

The case of Fr. C. John McCloskey is a perfect example of how a person in a position of power can use that power to manipulate and abuse a person during a vulnerable moment in their lives. It can sometimes be difficult for others to empathize with adults who have been abused, but most adult victims go to clergy for help because they are already struggling. However, this challenge of empathy is irrelevant to the facts: a woman was abused and we are now learning that she was not the only one who may have been hurt by Fr. McCloskey.  

For immediate release, January 4, 2019

An Argentine bishop who was allowed to resign from his post in 2017 for “health reasons” and has since been working at the Vatican has recently been accused of sexual abuse.

For immediate release: January 3, 2019

As American bishops meet outside Chicago for a week of “prayer and self-reflection” the Vatican’s request, Pope Francis has sent a letter explaining what he hopes comes of this retreat. Unfortunately, his letter ignores the most critical issue of all: accountability for bishops who conceal sex crimes.

For immediate release, January 2, 2019

Another diocese has released a list of names of clergy who have been accused of sexual abuse.

It is always helpful for survivors when these lists are posted, especially for those who may be suffering in silence. Seeing that they are not alone helps victims heal, and could also compel others who were abused – whether by the same person or in the same place – to come forward.

A newly published letter from officials at the Vatican to the head of American bishops has called into question the reasons for the scuttling of proposed church accountability reform from last November. Ultimately, however, the letter is both irrelevant to the church’s pattern of inaction on clergy abuse and to the urgent need for reform to come and come quickly.

In October, the entirety of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops met in Baltimore. During this meeting, hey discussed the abuse crisis. But they did not act. Now, three months later, the bishops are meeting again, this time at Mundelein Seminary outside Chicago. This time, though, they won’t even discuss the crisis.

In a recent op-ed, Cardinal Timothy Dolan outlined some of the benefits of compensation funds like that in his own Archdiocese of New York. In order to do as the Cardinal says and “ensure that all victim-survivors are at the center,” we want to offer some additional information about compensation funds.

For immediate release: December 27, 2018

Lawmakers in Virginia and the District of Columbia are weighing proposals that would add clergy to the list of professionals required by law to report child abuse or neglect to law enforcement.

This is a clarification regarding the SNAP press event held in Springfield, IL on December 21. It is important to note that there have been two priests in the Springfield Diocese with the same name.