The Archdiocese of Chicago will be publicly releasing documents that will reveal sexual abuse by 30 priests as well as what the church knew and may have not done.
The documents, numbering into the thousands in pages, are of sexual abuse cases that have long been settled - from before 1988 until 1996, it was announced last week by Francis Cardinal George, reports USA Today. "Painful though publicly reviewing the past can be, it is part of the accountability and transparency to which the Archdiocese is committed."
Though 65 priests were accused during the period, only 30 were found to have credible sexual abuse allegations against them. Many of the priests accused have since passed away. The documents will also show how the church tried to cover up or protect priests, at first, that were accused.
The documents are being released because it is a part of the legal settlement made with those who brought cases forward, according to The Associated Press.
In the letter, Cardinal George wrote, "I apologise to all those who have been harmed by these crimes and this scandal, the victims themselves, most certainly."
Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests Midwest director Peter Isely feels that Catholics in Chicago should read the documents saying, "This is about a part of their story as Chicago Catholics that ... has been systematically hidden."