Sexual abuse scandal in the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Chicago
This article's lead section may be too short to adequately summarize the key points. (September 2013) |
The sexual abuse scandal in the
Role of Joseph Bernardin
Archbishop Joseph Bernardin (1928–1996) was among the first U.S. cardinals or bishops to confront the issue of sexual abuse by clergy. He adopted a strong stance on sexual abuse cases within the clergy by implementing the strongest, most comprehensive policy concerning priests accused of sexual misconduct with minors. Bernardin's reforms concerning this issue soon served as a model for other dioceses across the nation.[1] In 1992 the archdiocese started one of the first programs in the country for victims' assistance.[2]
Bernardin was personally accused of sexual misconduct, but his accuser later recanted his testimony. Former seminarian Stephen Cook claimed to have been abused by Bernardin and another priest in the 1970s. But Cook subsequently dropped Bernardin from his lawsuit, as he was no longer certain that his memories (which had emerged while he was under hypnosis) were accurate.[3]
Scandal under Cardinal George (1997–2014)
Prior to the election of
While Cardinal George has had to deal with the fallout from clergy sexual abuse cases from many years ago, he has come under fire for his actions during a recent abuse case. Cardinal George took some responsibility for the affair, saying, "The sins of priests and bishops destroy the Church, and I think that's what we're seeing here."[5]
In 2005, Rev. Daniel Mark Holihan was found guilty of sexual abuse after being removed as a priest in 2002. Holihan had abused over 40 children, according to the Illinois Attorney General's office, which condemned the Archdiocese for their inaction in his case.[6]
McCormack affair
Rev. Daniel McCormack allegedly had abused two boys repeatedly from 2001 to 2005. Cardinal George has faced criticism for allowing McCormack to remain at his post after allegations first surfaced in August 2005. George has acknowledged that he had made mistakes in the case of the Rev. McCormack, who was charged with two counts of aggravated criminal sexual abuse on January 21, 2006.
At the time prosecutors were not able to move forward because they did not have sufficient evidence against him.[7] McCormack was instructed not to have any unsupervised contact with minors and a personal monitor was assigned to him. Cardinal George has since said that, had he known several months ago what he knew now that he would have removed McCormack from his duties right away.
Despite claims of following the Church's procedures for dealing with child-molesting priests, diocesan authorities made no attempt to contact the police regarding McCormack. Following this incident, the procedures for reporting abuse in Chicago were reportedly reevaluated by a panel and their importance was stressed.
Under Cardinal Cupich (2014–present)
Archbishop
All allegations made to the archdiocese of past or present conduct are reported to the
In response to the McCarrick-Vigano controversy, the Pope called a bishops’ conference on abuse scheduled for 2019 and appointed Cardinal Cupich to the organizing committee.
Prior to the Attorney General's investigation, only the archdiocese and the
In March 2019, lawyers for sex abuse victims revealed that 22 names were added to the list of 77 accused Catholic clergy, bringing the total number of accused clergy to 99.[13] The Archdiocese acknowledged that names released by the lawyers were credible, with 20 of these 22 new names already reported to civil authorities by the Archdiocese.[13]
In January 2021, prominent South Side priest Father Michael Pfleger was suspended after being accused of sexual abuse of two minors. After an investigation by the Archdiocese, he was reinstated to parish ministry in May of the same year. The Chicago Tribune reported that the Archdiocese "concluded that there is insufficient reason to suspect Father Pfleger is guilty of these allegations."[14]
On May 23, 2023, the Illinois Attorney General released a report on Catholic clergy child sex abuse in Illinois. The multi-year investigation found that more than 450 Catholic clergy in Illinois abused nearly 2,000 children since 1950.[15][16]
References
- ^ "Biography of Joseph Cardinal Bernardin". Archived from the original on October 24, 2008.
- ^ a b c Placek, Christopher (2015-01-04). "How the archdiocese is working to prevent abuse". Daily Herald. Retrieved 2018-12-21.
- ^ "Bernardin vindicated, says fellow bishop". Archived from the original on 2009-05-01. Retrieved 2009-04-30.
- ^ "Cardinal lifts the veil on abuses". Chicago Tribune.
- ^ Cardinal George apologizes to disgruntled Chicago parishioners, January 31, 2006 Catholic News Agency. Accessed March 24, 2008.
- ^ "Man opens up on alleged sex abuse from former Chicago priest known as 'Father Happy Hands'". WGN. 10 May 2024.
- ^ "Rev. Daniel McCormack : Accused priest was rising star". Chicago Tribune.
- ^ "Statement on Father Octavio Munoz Capetillo - August 3, 2015 - Archdiocese of Chicago". archchicago.org. Archived from the original on 23 September 2015. Retrieved 26 November 2015.
- ^ "Cardinals Cupich, Gracias Appointed to Committee for February Abuse Meeting". 23 November 2018.
- ^ Burke, Daniel. "Illinois AG says Catholic Church failed to disclose abuse accusations against 500 priests". Retrieved 2018-12-21.
- ^ "State AG: Church underreported number of priests with sex misconduct allegations". 19 December 2018.
- ^ Herguth, Robert (2018-11-29). "10 names added to list of clergy with 'substantiated' sex misconduct allegations". Chicago Sun-Times. Retrieved 2018-12-21.
- ^ a b "Lawyers release list of Illinois Catholic clergy accused of sexual misconduct". 21 March 2019.
- ^ Gutowski, Christy (May 24, 2021). "Cardinal reinstates Pfleger after probe finds 'insufficient reason to suspect' he's guilty of child sex abuse allegations. 'Let's get back to work,' St. Sabina pastor says". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved June 24, 2021.
- ^ "Report On Catholic Clergy Child Sex Abuse In Illinois 2023". Office of the Attorney General - State of Illinois. May 23, 2023. Retrieved February 20, 2024.
- ^ Foody, Kathleen; Tarm, Michael (2023-05-23). "Catholic clergy sexually abused Illinois kids far more often than church acknowledged, state finds". AP News. Retrieved 2024-02-20.