Chicago Priest Cleared After Child Abuse Investigation
A Chicago priest who had been the subject of a child sex abuse investigation has now been cleared.
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A Chicago priest who had been the subject of a child sex abuse investigation has now been cleared.
Stopping predator priests and protecting the innocent is the goal of a global Vatican summit addressing the clergy sex abuse crisis in the Catholic Church.
Juan Carlos Cruz, a Chilean abuse survivor who helped organize the encounter, said it was attended by four members of the organizing committee for the Meeting of the Protection of Minors, including Cardinal Blase Cupich of Chicago, Cardinal Oswald Gracias of Mumbai, Archbishop Charles Scicluna of Malta and the Rev. Hans Zollner, a German Jesuit who is president of the Center for the Protection of Minors at the Pontifical Gregorian University.
Cardinal Blase Cupich will join nearly 200 Catholic leaders from around the world at the Vatican later this week, for a four-day summit on the church's sexual abuse scandal.
Father John Smyth has been accused of sexually abusing minors from 2002 to 2003 while he was superintendent at Maryville Academy.
Father Patrick Lee has been accused of sexually abusing a minor in 1979 while he was assigned to St. Christopher Parish in Midlothian.
U.S. bishops are holding a retreat outside Chicago for "prayer and reflection" upon the sex abuse scandal in the Catholic Church.
Catholic bishops from across the United States have gathered in Munelein for a weeklong retreat on the clergy sex abuse crisis, but the bishops won't actually be talking about it.
The Archdiocese of Chicago says a recent state attorney general's report about priest sex abuse in Illinois will not be discussed.
A church official says Rev. Richard McGrath, who is under criminal investigation for sexual abuse, has gone "absent without leave" from his Augustinian order.
Cardinal Blase Cupich is hosting 300 bishops at a spiritual retreat at Mundelein Seminary Jan. 2-8.
A spokeswoman for Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan calls it "disappointing and absurd" not to discuss the findings at the gathering.
Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan on Wednesday issued a report about clergy sexual abuse, saying that Catholic dioceses in Illinois received allegations by 500 more clergy than previously publicly identified.
Earlier this month the Vatican told the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops to delay voting on any measures that would hold bishiops accountable for failing to protect children from sexual abuse.
The Attorney General promised a sweeping inquiry into the state's six diocese, and on Friday staff from the Attorney General's office was in Joliet looking at records.
Bishop Thomas Paprocki of Springfield, Illinois, said that "we are not branch managers of the Vatican" and that "our people are crying out for some action."
Immediately after DiNardo made the surprise announcement on Monday, Cardinal Blase Cupich of Chicago, one of the Pope's closest allies in the United States, said the bishops should still discuss the proposals, even if they are not voted on this week.
Church historians say Padre Pio was said to have the ability to read souls and often spent up to 16 hours a day hearing confession.
The lawsuit seeking to compel church leaders to turn over the names of every priest accused of sexual abuse comes weeks after a similar one was filed in California.
The Diocese of Fort-Wayne-South Bend published a list of priests and deacons who have been credibly accused of sexual abuse of a minor, including three who once served in Northwest Indiana.
Church historians questioned why such an urgent problem was being scheduled for discussion six months from now with the very bishops who are blamed for much of the scandal.
The head of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, Houston Cardinal Daniel DiNardo, had requested the papal audience last month following revelations that McCarrick had risen through church ranks even though the allegations of sexual misconduct were known in U.S. and Vatican circles.
"For many of us, those earlier stories happened someplace else, someplace away."
Church leaders said that they would maintain the sanctity of confession, arguing to remove would infringe on religious liberties.
Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan announced plans to meet with the Chicago Archdiocese after at least seven priests with connections to her state were identified in the Pennsylvania grand jury report.
Chicago's Derek Hill hit a two-run shot that tied it at 3 in the seventh.
The 94th annual St. Jude Memorial March stepped off Michigan Avenue on Sunday morning.
There was no immediate reason given for the 81-year-old's hospitalization.
At 22-12, the Cubs are a season-high 10 games over .500.
The department said the victim has been identified, but is working to locate next of kin.
There was no immediate reason given for the 81-year-old's hospitalization.
Elmwood Park, Center Cass, Oak Lawn Hometown, and Atwood Heights are among the Illinois districts being investigated by the Justice Department over classroom instruction on gender and sexuality.
Negotiations over a $500 million dollar government aid package for Spirit stalled after bondholders balked at the terms.
The longest shutdown of a federal department in U.S. history came to an end on Thursday when President Trump signed a bill to fund most of the Department of Homeland Security following a breakthrough on Capitol Hill.
The Coast Guard will run out of funding to pay personnel on May 1, with the first missed paychecks expected May 15.
According to AAA, the average price of a gallon of regular gas in Chicago was $5.17 on Friday, up from $3.75 a year ago.
Peoples Gas and North Shore Gas Company customers are likely to see minor credits on their bills for the next three years, thanks to a $125 million settlement agreement announced Thursday by Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul.
Chicago gas prices are spiking as the war with Iran drags on, with regular gas nearing $6 in some spots and premium already selling for more than $7 in some places.
In the legal venue of anti-trust enforcement, the state is not taking on the Trump administration, but rather filling a void that state officials say the Trump administration has vacated.
A passenger on an American Airlines flight from New York to Chicago has been charged with making a false bomb threat that forced an emergency landing at Detroit Metro Airport last month, according to a federal criminal complaint.
The second-largest physicians' group in the U.S. has issued a surprising switch in breast cancer screening recommendations.
A new $48 million wellness center opened Thursday in the West Garfield Park neighborhood. The goal is to improve the health and quality of life for people on the West Side of Chicago.
La Rabida Children's Hospital went all out for Earth Day on Wednesday, with volunteer cleanup efforts by staffers and activities for patients and families.
It has been several weeks since West Suburban Medical Center in Oak Park, Illinois, abruptly shut down — and then on Wednesday, it just as swiftly partially reopened, with some services available.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says more than 80% of deaths related to pregnancy are preventable, and Black women are three times more likely to die from pregnancy-related causes than white women.
Thousands of people marched from the West Loop to Daley Plaza in downtown Chicago on Friday for May Day, with activists calling for workers' rights, stronger labor protections, and increased school funding.
A $170 million-plus plan announced this week will redevelop the Water Tower Place mall on the Magnificent Mile.
The Holiday Club in Chicago's Buena Park neighborhood will soon be going out of business, as the building that houses the popular bar is set to be torn down.
At a meeting on Tuesday, the Lincolnwood Village Board approved a pre-development agreement with the mall, providing a roadmap with the property owner for further preparations and government approvals for redevelopment.
The only remaining location of Pal Joey's pizzeria in Batavia, Illinois, will soon be going out of business, its owner announced this week.
David Allan Coe also had hits with "You Never Even Called Me By My Name" and "The Ride" among others.
Some youngsters got a behind-the-scenes look at the magic of making opera Sunday at the Lyric Opera of Chicago.
Matt DeCaro, an actor who was a familiar face on the Chicago stage for many years, died this weekend.
Jake was at the funeral for one of his closest friends when he learned of his parents' deaths, he said.
Tickets for the 2026 Ravinia Festival season went on sale Thursday morning.
According to Iran’s state media, Iran’s latest proposal to the U.S. calls for issues between the two nations to be resolved within 30 days and aims to end the war rather than extend the ceasefire.
Some storms have the potential to create gusty winds and possibly small hail. Meteorologist Kylee Miller has the latest in First Alert Weather.
Hundreds of people strolled through the park for everything from fresh produce to baked goods and crafts, and even exercise classes. The market runs every Sunday through October.
During his weekly Sunday prayers, the pontiff reminded crowds in St. Peter's Square that reporters are all too frequently victims of war and violence.
A steel beam recovered from the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center will travel more than 10,000 miles to 21 states over the next few months. The beam is scheduled to make a stop at the Chicago Fire Department Engine 18 on August 12.
Joliet police said officers responded to the scene and found a 31-year-old man suffering from a gunshot wound to the head.
The 94th annual St. Jude Memorial March stepped off Michigan Avenue on Sunday morning.
The department said the victim has been identified, but is working to locate next of kin.
There was no immediate reason given for the 81-year-old's hospitalization.
PAWS Chicago welcomed 25 beagles from a massive rescue operation on Saturday.
More than four months after a Chicago woman battling ALS was told she couldn't get a disabled parking placard in front of her home, the sign is up and her life is about to change.
An elderly woman has essentially abandoned her home of three decades because of constantly broken elevators at her high-rise condo building on the Southwest Side of Chicago.
Violent retail crime is on the rise in Illinois, according to a new report from the Illinois Organized Retail Crime Association.
A top administrator in the Libertyville school district has been placed on leave after a fiery school board meeting focused on how the district handled allegations of grooming leveled against a former teacher.
Potholes along one stretch of road in Chicago's Pullman neighborhood are so bad, people say they damage their cars just getting to work.
Chicago's Derek Hill hit a two-run shot that tied it at 3 in the seventh.
At 22-12, the Cubs are a season-high 10 games over .500.
The White Sox broke through against Michael King (3-2) in the sixth and then chased the Padres' top starter in the seventh.
The Cubs had not won 10 in a row at home since they had 14 straight victories at Wrigley from May 18-June 22, 2008.
Munetaka Murakami hit his majors-leading 13th homer of the season to highlight a six-run second inning, Colson Montgomery added his ninth home run, and the Chicago White Sox beat the San Diego Padres 8-2 for their fourth straight win.
Chief Geoff Guttschow, who has an autistic child who drives, says the Blue Envelope Program gives officers a tool to recognize when a driver may need additional communication support.
A woman has been charged with shooting a 15-year-old boy outside an indoor track facility near Gately Park in Chicago in 2024, after getting into a fight with another woman during a back-to-school event in the Pullman neighborhood.
Sexual abuse charges were filed this week against a Park City, Illinois, police officer.
Attorneys for the man convicted of the murders of two girls in Delphi, Indiana, have filed a new brief with the Indiana Court of Appeals to overturn his case.
Attorneys for a woman convicted of killing her 69-year-old landlord in Chicago's Arcadia Terrace community have filed an appeal.
