CHICAGO >> Illinois’ attorney general has ended a five-year investigation into sexual abuse of children by Catholic clergy in the state, releasing a nearly 700-page report that revealed the problem was far worse than the church acknowledged in 2018 at the start of the state’s review.

Attorney General Kwame Raoul said Tuesday that state investigators found that more than 450 Catholic clergy in Illinois had sexually abused nearly 2,000 children since 1950. But Raoul and other experts say the finding is unlikely to lead to criminal charges.

That follows a familiar pattern — no rush of criminal charges followed the 2018 release of a bombshell grand jury report on clergy abuse in Pennsylvania or last month’s report on abuse in the Archdiocese of Baltimore.

Advocates say they believe the report will help more people feel safe to discuss what happened to them with family, friends, support groups and law enforcement.

They also say it could prompt people to file civil lawsuits, even for abuse long ago. They hope legislatures take further steps enabling prosecutors to charge older sex abuse cases and toughen standards for mandatory reporting.

“I’m proud of the attorney general and what he’s done, but there’s more we can all do together,” said Larry Antonsen, a leader of the Chicago chapter of the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests.