"I believe the church does important work to support vulnerable populations; however, as with any presumably reputable institution, the Catholic church must be held accountable when it betrays the public’s trust," Raoul said in a release on the report on Tuesday.
"It is my hope that this nearly 700-page report will provide some closure to survivors of child sex abuse by Catholic clerics by shining a light both on those who violated their positions of power and trust, and on the individuals in church leadership who covered up that abuse."
Although those who committed abuse may never be held accountable in a court of law, naming them intends to provide a public accounting and a measure of healing to survivors who have long suffered in silence, the release said.
Before the Attorney General's investigation, the Catholic dioceses of Illinois publicly acknowledged there were 103 substantiated child sex abusers.
However, the report reveals the names and detailed information of 451 Catholic clerics and religious brothers who abused as many as 1,997 children across Illinois’ Catholic dioceses, the release said.
"The survivor narratives demonstrate a troubling pattern of the church failing to support survivors, ignoring or covering up reports of abuse, and survivors being revictimized by the church when they came forward to report being abused," the release said.
"Repeatedly, church officials prioritized the reputation of the institution over protecting children, frequently giving abusive priests the benefit of the doubt - giving abusers the chance to abuse again - and even covering up the abuse by misleading the public."
As a direct result of this investigation, the dioceses have improved their policies relating to their investigations of child sex abuse allegations and the public disclosure of substantiated child sex abusers, the release added.