Nearly 2,000 minors were sexually abused by Catholic priests in Illinois over 69 years, a shocking investigation by the state's Attorney General has found.

As many as 451 of the church's clergy members and lay religious brothers in six dioceses abused 1,997 children in Illinois between 1950 and 2019, Attorney General Kwame Raoul said on Tuesday as he unveiled the report. 

The 696-page document accuses Illinois church leaders of being severely slow to acknowledge the extent of the abuse, and of frequently dragging their feet to confront accused clergy.