New lawsuits against Archdiocese of Chicago allege years of child sexual abuse at former South Side parish

More than half-a-dozen *lawsuits have been filed against the Archdiocese of Chicago, accusing the church of turning a blind eye to child sexual abuse on the city's south side.

The lawsuits name four now-deceased priests, including Father George Clements and John Calicott.

According to the attorneys, the priests targeted more than 100 young Black children at Holy Angels parish between 1969 and 2002. 

Some of the victims were targeted at Boy Scout meetings. The youngest victims were just 5 years old.

The lawsuits say the archdiocese received credible allegations about the abuse and did nothing to stop it.

"Holy Angels was not a sanctuary for children. It was a sanctuary for predators, sexual predators protected by the Chicago Archdiocese," said Attorney Steven Hart.

The attorneys say they plan to file more lawsuits in the future.

The Archdiocese of Chicago says it does not comment on lawsuits.