On April 18, Cardinal Cupich sent letters to parishes where Father James Flynn served informing of his reinstatement. Those parishes were: Holy Name of Mary (now unified with Sts. Peter and Paul and St. John de La Salle churches to form Our Lady of Kibeho Parish), Our Lady of Mercy (now unified with Resurrection and Immaculate Heart of Mary churches), Our Lady of the Mount (now unified with Mary Queen of Heaven to form Our Lady, the Mystical Rose Parish), St. Margaret of Scotland (now unified with St. Kilian and St. Thaddeus churches to form Sts. Martha, Mary and Lazarus Parish) and St. Priscilla. Flynn was asked to step away from ministry last September following an allegation of sexual abuse of a minor. “The allegation was alleged to have occurred 45 years ago when Father Flynn was assigned to Resurrection Parish,” the letter stated. “In keeping with our child protection policies, I directed Father Flynn to remain out of ministry while the allegation was investigated, and he has cooperated with this direction. “As is required by our child protection policies, the allegation was reported to civil authorities. The person making the allegation was offered the services of our Victim Assistance Ministry. “On April 15, the Independent Review Board of the Archdiocese of Chicago met to consider the results of its investigation and determined that there is not a reasonable cause to believe that Father Flynn sexually abused a minor. The Board recommended that the file be closed and Father Flynn be returned to ministry. Therefore, after considering their recommendations, I am restoring Father Flynn to ministry, effective immediately,” the letter said. “It is crucial that you know nothing is more important than the welfare of the children entrusted to our care. 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.” Complete information about reporting sexual abuse can be found at archchicago.org.
Illinois attorney general releases report on clergy sexual abuse across state's Catholic dioceses Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul released a report on sexual abuse of children by Catholic clergy in Illinois on May 23, announcing that members of his team identified 451 Catholic clerics and religious brothers who have been accused of abusing 1,997 children in Illinois’ six dioceses over the past nearly 90 years.
Abuse expert hopes pontifical commission will be refuge for survivors The pope’s safeguarding commission, preparing to move into a fresco-ceilinged palace in Rome’s historic center, must not be merely engaged in “PR,” but become a refuge for those abused by clergy and silenced by the church, said leading safeguarding expert Jesuit Father Hans Zollner.
Cardinal Cupich reinstates Father Paul Guzman On March 21, Cardinal Cupich sent a letter to the community of Most Holy Redeemer Parish in Evergreen Park to tell them that he was reinstating their associate pastor to ministry following an investigation into allegations of abuse that dated from “a long time before he became a priest.”