Cardinal Francis George on Thursday said  the public release of the internal files of 36 priests accused of sexually abusing children shows the church’s ‘commitment to transparency’ in one of the most disturbing chapters in the Roman Catholic Church’s history.

“In a statement on the church’s website announcing the release of some 15,000 pages of once-secret documents, George said the Archdiocese of Chicago was ‘concerned first and foremost with bringing healing to abuse victims …’

“The January files, made public as part of a settlement with victims, provided fresh details into how, for decades, the nation’s third-largest archdiocese quietly transferred accused priests from parish to parish, and how church officials failed to tell law enforcement about accusations that priests had sexually abused boys and girls.”

By Christy Gutowski, Todd Lighty, Chicago Tribune — Click here to read the rest of this story.