Lawsuit Filed against Catholic Church

WAND
October 18, 2018

http://www.wandtv.com/story/39316223/lawsuit-filed-against-catholic-church

A lawsuit has been filed on behalf of victims alleging clergy abuse against each diocese and bishop in the Catholic church in the state of Illinois.

The suit, filed in Chicago, seeks to force the church and its bishops to open files on abuse by priests and by what lawyers call a cover-up to hide those abuse cases. Some of those cases date back decades and many of the priests involved are either dead or no longer in active ministry.

Among those claiming to have been abused is Cindy Yesko. Yesko says she was abused in the Springfield Diocese beginning at the age of six.

“I was abused, sexually abused, by two different priests,” said Yesko of the two priests who are now dead. “At the time I was too little to do anything about it. I was really scared and it was overwhelming.”

Yesko says she is not seeking compensation. Instead she would like to see fuller disclosure by the church.

The Springfield Diocese says it thoroughly investigated the case and reported it to civil authorities. The diocese goes on to say it reported the details of the complaint with then Sangamon County States Attorney John Schmidt. The diocese goes on to say it is currently cooperating with the Illinois Attorney Generals office into allegations of its handling of sexual abuse cases.

The Springfield Diocese says allegations of abuse can be reported to its Diocese Child Abuse Reporting and Investigation number at (217) 321-1155. The Illinois Department of Children and Family Services can also be contacted at 1-800-25-ABUSE.

The WAND I-TEAM will have additional stories on this subject in the next several weeks.