As Cardinal Francis George warned parishioners over the weekend, nearly 6,000 pages of documents detailing clergy sex abuse are being released today by the Chicago Catholic Archdiocese, officials said.
The documents -- including complaints, personnel documents and other files on 30 priests --are being turned over to attorneys representing victims. It is not known when they will be made available to the public.
"I want to offer apologies to all victims affected by these sins and crimes" Bishop Francis Kane said during the news conference announcing the release, echoing sentiments voiced by the cardinal in a letter read at parish churches Sunday.
John O'Malley, an attorney for the archdiocese, said 95 percent of the incidents occurred before 1988 and none occurred after 1996. The files of former priest and convicted sex offender Daniel McCormack are not included in the records because a judge has sealed them for upcoming trials, O'Malley said.
The disclosure will provide the broadest look yet at how the country's third-largest archdiocese handled abuse claims in recent decades, in addition to offering detailed accounts of the pain endured by dozens of victims. While many advocates welcome the long-sought documents, others worry they will reopen old wounds for a church that has been trying to move past an international scandal.
Victims spent nine years pushing the church in the hope of giving the public that same broad perspective. For many, the transparency was even more important than the money, their lawyers said.
“They're looking for accountability,” said attorney Marc Pearlman. “They want something to be learned from this, and they want to make sure it can't happen again.”