Jeff Anderson, an attorney for victims of sexual abuse by clergy, is joined by abuse victim Joe Iacono as he speaks during a press conference in Chicago, Sept. 17, 2019. (AP Photo / Teresa Crawford)

The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Chicago has paid $80 million to victims of sexual abuse by clergy represented by a single law firm alone since 2000, the Minnesota-based attorney who heads the firm told reporters.

St. Mary of the Angels (Credit: Archdiocese of Chicago’s Joseph Cardinal Bernardin Archives and Records Center)

When driving along the Kennedy Expressway, you may have noticed massive churches that seem to almost line up with the curves and bends of the highway. Geoffrey Baer explains.

Thousands of people, including immigrants and their supporters, rally against President Donald Trump’s immigration policies as they march from Daley Plaza to the Chicago field office of Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Saturday, July 13, 2019, in Chicago. (Abel Uribe / Chicago Tribune via AP)

As a nationwide immigration crackdown loomed, religious leaders across the country used their pulpits Sunday to quell concerns in immigrant communities.

Attorney Jeff Anderson speaks as Joe Iacono, left, and Cindy Yesko listen during a news conference in Chicago on Wednesday, March 20, 2019. Advocates for clergy abuse victims say their list of 395 priests or lay people in Illinois who have been publicly accused of sexually abusing children is far more extensive than the names already released by the state’s six dioceses. (AP Photo / Kiichiro Sato)

Advocates for clergy abuse victims released the names Wednesday of 395 priests and lay people in Illinois they say have been publicly accused of sexually abusing children.

The cousins meet: Allie n Steve Mullen, right, and Terry Mason

WTTW captures a family reunion between two cousins. Both from central Illinois, one now calls Chicago home and identifies as “trans-feminine.” The other, an evangelical Christian, stayed downstate and has no experience with the LGBTQ community.

The now-closed Church of the Advent, 2900 W. Logan Blvd., in Logan Square.

As religious congregations shrink, churches all over the city are being shuttered and converted into luxury residences. But not everyone is happy with the results. 

(Peter Griffin / Publicdomainpictures.net)

The Rev. John Smyth has been removed from the Archdiocese of Chicago’s ministry while it investigates accusations of sexual abuse against the longtime priest. 

Loyola University Chicago (hearkencreative / Flickr)

With current enrollment of just 20 students and a small incoming class projected, the Archdiocese of Chicago announced it will close St. Joseph College Seminary. 

In this Sept. 2, 2015, file photo, Pope Francis, right, salutes Chicago Archbishop Blase Joseph Cupich at the end of his weekly general audience in St. Peter's Square at the Vatican. (Alessandra Tarantino / AP File Photo)

Pope Francis is encouraging U.S. bishops meeting near Chicago to unify as the Roman Catholic church deals with a “crisis of credibility” stemming from the clergy sex abuse scandal.

A sign outside the Mundelein Seminary asks the faithful to pray for U.S.-based Roman Catholic bishops gathering there for a weeklong prayer retreat, Wednesday, Jan. 2, 2019, in Mundelein, Illinois. (AP Photo / Teresa Crawford)

Activists call on Pope Francis to remove Cardinal Blase Cupich from his role in organizing a Vatican conference on sex abuse. We discuss the story with Chicago Sun-Times reporter Robert Herguth.

Rabbi Seth Limmer appears on “Chicago Tonight.”

Rabbi Seth Limmer joins us to discuss “Moral Resistance and Spiritual Authority: Our Jewish Obligation to Social Justice.”

Archbishop Blase Cupich (Charles Rex Arbogast / AP File Photo / Pool)

Cardinal Blase Cupich expressed regret for “our failures to address the scourge of clerical sexual abuse” in a statement responding to the attorney general's report.

Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan (Chicago Tonight file photo)

Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan issued a blistering report about clergy sexual abuse, saying, “The preliminary stages of this investigation have already demonstrated that the Catholic Church cannot police itself.” 

Cardinal Blase Cupich appears on “Chicago Tonight” on Oct. 1, 2018.

The Catholic Church is struggling to deal with worldwide sex abuse scandals. And within its own walls, the church seems to be at war with itself.

St. Benedict The Moor Church in Pittsburgh, one of six Roman Catholic dioceses that was the focus of two-year grand jury investigation in Pennsylvania. (Trevin Shirey / Flickr)

Local reaction to a stunning two-year grand jury investigation that details alleged sexual abuse of more than 1,000 individuals by 300 “predator priests” – and a cover-up by church officials.

Bill Hybels (Willow Creek D/CH / Flickr)

Willow Creek Community Church, based in South Barrington, is undergoing a seismic shift. Chicago Tribune religion reporter Manya Brachear Pashman joins us with the latest.