North Side Catholic priest removed from church following allegation of sexual abuse of a child
Elvia Malagon 12 Jan 2019 Chicago Tribune
The
Archdiocese of Chicago removed a priest from a North Side Catholic church after receiving a report of an allegation that he sexually abused a child decades prior in suburban Midlothian, according to a news release.
The Rev. Patrick J. Lee, the head pastor at Our Lady of Mount Carmel in the East Lakeview neighborhood, was asked by Cardinal
Blase Cupich to “step aside” from ministry after someone came forward this week and reported being sexually abused as a child by Lee, according to a statement issued by the archdiocese.
The allegation was recently received through the archdiocese’s Office for Child Abuse Investigations and Review. Information about the allegation was also reported to the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services and the Cook County state’s attorney. . . .
. . . A letter by Cupich about the allegation was read Saturday to parishioners of each church Lee had served in . . .
“It is crucial that you know nothing is more important than the welfare of the children entrusted to our care,” Cupich stated in the letter. “The Archdiocese of Chicago takes all allegations of sexual misconduct seriously and encourages anyone who feels they have been sexually abused by a priest, deacon, religious or lay employee, to come forward.” . . .
. . . Before leaving her post as attorney general, Lisa Madigan made public a
scathing report that found the number of
Catholic priests accused of sexual abuse against children across the state was much higher than previously acknowledged. The report stated that accusations, some of which go back decades, have been leveled against 690 priests, while Catholic officials had publicly identified at that time only 185 clergy with credible allegations against them. . . .
