State report: Catholic churches harbored hundreds more abusers than previously disclosed
By HANNAH MEISEL
Capitol News Illinois
hmeisel@capitolnewsillinois.com
SPRINGFIELD – Catholic dioceses in Illinois failed to disclose hundreds of abusive clerics before the state opened what would become a yearslong investigation into sex abuse within the church, Attorney General Kwame Raoul announced Tuesday.
Included in a scathing 700-page report published by Raoul’s office at the end of the four-and-a-half-year investigation is the most comprehensive list to date of Catholic priests and religious brothers – 451 in Illinois – who abused nearly 2,000 victims since 1950.
When former Attorney General Lisa Madigan initiated the investigation on her way out of office in late 2018, only the Archdiocese of Chicago and the Diocese of Joliet disclosed the names of clergy with substantiated sex abuse allegations against them. Between the two dioceses, they disclosed 103 names.
During the course of the investigation, the other four dioceses began listing their own names of known child sex abusers who ministered within their purviews, eventually upping the number of disclosed clergy with substantiated sex abuse claims against them to 320. The original 103 names disclosed by the Archdiocese of Chicago and Diocese of Joliet had some overlap with lists of names disclosed by the other four dioceses.
But Tuesday’s report names 149 more abusive clergy members than the dioceses had ever disclosed.
“Decades of Catholic leadership, decisions and policies have allowed known child sex abusers to hide, often in plain sight,” Raoul said at a news conference in Chicago. “And because the statute of limitations has frequently expired, many survivors of child sex abuse at the hands of Catholic clerics will never see justice in a legal sense. But it is my sincere hope that this report will shine a light on those who violated their positions of power and trust to abuse innocent children, and on the men in church leadership who covered up that abuse.”
A 2017 law eliminated Illinois’ prior statute of limitations for child sex abuse, under which a 20-year clock began ticking on a victim’s 18th birthday. But that law was only prospective; a 2009 Illinois Supreme Court decision affirmed that attempts to alter the statute of limitations retroactively violated the due process rights of the accused.
Asked Tuesday if he would support an amendment to the state’s constitution to allow older victims to file lawsuits, Raoul declined to give an answer.
“I’m not going to speak to that,” he said.
Raoul and Assistant Chief Deputy Attorney General Thomas Verticchio on Tuesday said investigators referred certain cases to local law enforcement any time they had reason to believe the statute of limitations window may have still been open. But they couldn’t say how many cases were actionable.
However, they did say the most recent abuse detailed during the investigation occurred in approximately 2010.
The investigation spans more than seven decades, with some of the oldest priests named in the report having been ordained in the 1910s. Raoul on Tuesday confirmed that the majority of those named in the report – 330 – were already dead.
“These perpetrators may never be held accountable in a court of law, but by naming them in this report, the intention is to provide public accountability and a measure of healing to survivors who have long suffered in silence,” Raoul said.
The attorney general’s office made “more than 600 confidential contacts” with survivors of child sex abuse by church leaders, including in-person, video and phone interviews, in addition to messages left on the attorney general’s hotline, plus emails and letters.
The dioceses cooperated in the investigation, giving staff in the attorney general’s office access to thousands of files and allowing diocese leadership to sit for interviews with investigators.
“It’s important to note, when we say substantiated, we were not calling balls and strikes,” Raoul said “The Church is, in the end, substantiating.”
According to the report, 22 clergy members associated with dioceses in Illinois had preyed on five or more children. Nine of those had at least 10 victims over the course of their careers, and one former priest – Joseph Fitzharris of Chicago – had at least 20 victims dating back to his first assignment in Puerto Rico in the late 1960s.
Fitzharris spent 17 years associated with eight churches in the Chicago area before moving on to Missouri, Indiana, California and Colorado, where he continued abusing children until the mid-1980s, according to the report. He was convicted of sexual abuse of a minor in Illinois in 1987, removed from public ministry in 1991, resigned in 1995 and was finally laicized by Pope Benedict in 2009.
Survivors’ accounts
The report is full of anecdotes and direct quotes from survivors interviewed by the attorney general’s office. In one heart-wrenching story, a woman referred to by the pseudonym “Shanice” recounted how she was repeatedly raped by Father Robert Boley in the late 1980s when she was a fifth grader at Saint Cyril in Chicago’s Woodlawn neighborhood.
Boley’s abuse began with inappropriate touching behind his desk while the rest of the class worked on math problems. But eventually Boley would regularly hold Shanice back from going to recess, raping her in the empty classroom.
“He told me I was bad,” Shanice told investigators from the attorney general’s office. “He told me that Jesus made me bad, that he was there to help me.”
Shanice said she both trusted Boley and feared him. She also said she knew she wasn’t the only one of her classmates targeted by Boley.
“I think that what people don’t understand is when you are a child, you don’t separate a priest from God,” she was quoted as saying in the report. “He was God. To me, he was God’s worker.”
According to Shanice, another priest even caught Boley one day, bursting into the empty classroom at recess and witnessing Shanice on his lap. But instead of doing anything about it, Shanice recalled the other priest asked Boley a question, then locked the door behind him on his way back out.
Boley was moved to three other assignments before ending up back in Illinois, where he worked at Our Lady of Mount Carmel in Darien in 2002 when another woman accused him of abusing her when she was a young girl in the 1980s, close to the time of Shanice’s abuse.
After decades, Shanice finally told her mother about the abuse in 2019, and eventually agreed to a settlement with the Archdiocese of Chicago in 2022.
According to the report, Boley was removed from public ministry in 2006 and is “on a safety plan.”
Capitol News Illinois is a nonprofit, nonpartisan news service covering state government. It is distributed to hundreds of print and broadcast outlets statewide. It is funded primarily by the Illinois Press Foundation and the Robert R. McCormick Foundation, along with major contributions from the Illinois Broadcasters Foundation and Southern Illinois Editorial Association.
Local News
Lyons Mental Health Commission pulls LeaderShop funding
Spread the loveExecutive director accused of harassment From staff reports The local nonprofit service community was jolted when nearly $300,000 in mental health funds was withdrawn by a Lyons Township agency from the Western Springs LeaderShop, a social service agency that has provided youth programs for nearly 40 years. The Lyons Township Mental Health Commission…
Mount Carmel, Marist and Oak Lawn among 84 teams at Riverside-Brookfield shootout
Spread the loveBy Xavier Sanchez Correspondent High school boys basketball does not stop in March and pick back up in late autumn. For many players, playing hoops is a year-round commitment. AAU ball is a big reason for, that there are summer camps, shootouts or other events at most schools during the summer. The…
Dog lovers to celebrate ‘Fur of July’
Spread the love. By Peggy Zabicki Your correspondent in West Lawn 3633 W. 60th Place • (773) 504-9327 . I’m starting out with some fun news. The West Lawn Dog Park Advisory Council will be hosting a Fur of July Pet Parade on Saturday, June 29 from 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at West Lawn…
Fourth of July not happy for everyone
Spread the love. By Mary Stanek Your correspondent in Archer Heights and West Elsdon 3808 W. 57th Place • (773) 517-7796 . Happy Fourth of July. Cannot believe I am already saying that, time sure goes. Hope it is safe and quiet for everyone and especially all of our house pets. For us its shutting…
St. Rita’s transformation is worth a look
Spread the love. Kathy Headley Your correspondent in Chicago Lawn and Marquette Manor 6610 S. Francisco • (773) 776-7778 . St. Rita of Cascia Church, 63rd and Fairfield, continues to undergo its transformation from the sunflowery/harvest golds and browns of the 1960s and 1970s to the calming pastels of the 2000s. Since the basilica-style church…
Loss to Courage brings Red Stars’ winless streak to five games
Spread the loveBy Jeff Vorva Correspondent The Chicago Red Stars historic start to the season is all but forgotten. In the last five matches, the Red Stars have failed to win, with the latest setback being a 3-1 loss on the road to North Carolina on June 23 in an NWSL battle. The Red Stars…
Summer League Basketball | Illinois powers compete at Riverside-Brookfield Shootout
Spread the loveBy Xavier Sanchez Correspondent School’s out for the summer, but high school athletes across Illinois are remaining active during the summer sports season. This includes basketball players, who can be found at camps, open gyms, camps and even weekend tournaments. Among the more high profile hoops action in the area was the Riverside-Brookfield…
Dana Rettke and Ryan Murphy heading to Paris Summer Games
Spread the loveBy Jeff Vorva Correspondent Area fans of the Summer Olympics will have extra reasons to cheer athletes from the United States in the upcoming Paris Games. Dana Rettke of Riverside is a member of the U.S. women’s volleyball team and Palos Heights native Ryan Murphy will represent the country in swimming. Rettke, a…
Hope Church feeds the hungry at Marquette Park
Spread the love. Kathy Headley Your correspondent in Chicago Lawn and Marquette Manor 6610 S. Francisco • (773) 776-7778 . Last week on the way to our CAPS meeting at the Marquette Park Fieldhouse, I stopped in at the Tuesday Community Dinner hosted by Hope Church every week in the auditorium. Pastors Ben and Jordyn…
Palos Heights tax preparer convicted of Covid-relief fraud
Spread the loveFrom staff reports A Palos Heights tax preparer who operates a business in Bridgeview has been convicted on federal charges for fraudulently assisting customers in obtaining loans under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act. The jury in U.S. District Court in Chicago on June 10 convicted Hadi Isbaih, 42, on all…
Neighbors
Denys steps down as finance director in Lyons
Spread the loveBy Steve Metsch Lyons is looking for a new finance director. Citing more demands with other municipalities he works for, Dan Denys has stepped down from the job in Lyons, Mayor Christopher Getty said. Denys, of Naperville, was not in a full-time position in Lyons, but has been the finance director since May…
Willow Springs police release year in review report
Spread the loveBy Carol McGowan Willow Springs Police Chief Jim Ritz recently released the department’s 2021 Year in Review Report. The report, which was presented to Mayor Melissa Neddermeyer and the Willow Springs Village Board, is an overview of the programs, activities, accomplishments, and statistics that highlight their achievements last year. In the report, Ritz stated…
Forest View swears in new police chief
Spread the loveBy Carol McGowan The Village of Forest View has a new police chief. Steven Stelter was sworn in by Clerk Laura McGuffey at the February 22 village board meeting. Stelter comes with an extensive career in law enforcement. After being honorably discharged from the Army in 1979, where he was in the military…
International soccer tournament coming to Bridgeview
Spread the loveBy Steve Metsch Thirty-two soccer teams from North, Central and South America will be at SeatGeek Stadium in Bridgeview this summer, vying for their share of a $100,000 prize. Copa Mariachi Chicago will be played at the stadium June 4 and 5. The winning team will get $80,000, and the second-place team pockets…
Grappling girls get their day at inaugural state finals
Spread the loveBy Jason Maholy Sports Editor The last weekend of February 2022 was an historic one for Illinois high school athletics, as female grapplers from across the Prairie State converged on Bloomington for the inaugural IHSA girls wrestling state finals. The state finals were held Feb. 25 and 26 at Grossinger Motors Arena in…
Boys Basketball: R-B, Lyons and De La Salle among seven area regional champs
Spread the loveBy Jeff Vorva Staff writer St. Rita, Mt. Carmel, De La Salle, Curie, Lyons, Riverside-Brookfield and Nazareth survived the boys basketball regional wars last week and advanced to this week’s sectional action. Marist and St. Laurence were both a shot away from possibly joining them. Marist, the 10th seed in the Class 4A…
Area Roundup: R-B’s Harrison Nolan dives into record books
Spread the loveBy Jeff Vorva Staff Writer Team USA diver Harrison Nolan capped off his high school career in a huge way. The Riverside-Brookfield senior smashed the record books en route to winning the IHSA state diving championship. The boys state swimming and diving finals were held Feb. 25 and 26 at the FMC Natatorium…
Richards’ Obadi advances to state speech finals
Spread the loveBy Kelly White The varsity speech team from Richards High School continues to impress. For the 15th season in a row, the school, 10601 Central Ave., Oak Lawn, had at least one speech team member advance to state. “One of my most important responsibilities as coach of this program is to continue the…
Oak Lawn Community High School speech team goes to state
Spread the loveBy Kelly White Oak Lawn Community High School’s Speech Team has been showcasing its talent. The team at the school, 9400 Southwest Highway, Oak Lawn, competed at the Illinois High School Association state competition the weekend of February 19 in Peoria. IHSA is a state high school association in the United States that…
Poisoned eagle healed, released to mate
Spread the loveBy Kelly White Wildlife advocates recently released a bald eagle back into the wild at Ottawa Trail Woods at 47th Street and Harlem Avenue in Lyons. The release marked the end of a six-week rehabilitation stint that started on New Year’s Day when the bird was found on the ground in the woods.…