A retired celebrity Priest Father George Clements who was the first African-American to graduate from the archdiocese of Chicago’s Archbishop Quigley Preparatory Seminary has been accused of sexual assault while serving as a pastor at the then Holy Angels Parish in Bronzevilleabuse in the 1970’s.
The celebrity Priest, Father George Clements as reported by Chicago Suntimes, who is also famous for marching with Martin Luther King Jr. and being the first Catholic priest to adopt a child, and someone who celebrated 61st anniversary of his ordination as a Priest, now faces an accusation of sexually abusing a minor in the 1970s.
The Chicago Sun times report stated that Cardinal Blase Cupich has asked Clements, 87, “to step aside from ministry” pending the outcome of an investigation into the sex abuse claim, according to a statement from the Archdiocese of Chicago.
The archdiocese said the alleged abuse occurred in 1974 during Clements’ 22-year tenure as pastor of Holy Angels Parish in Bronzeville.
Chicago Police Department CPD spokesman Anthony Guglielmi said they learned of the complaint in June and has been working on it since then; after notifying the Archdiocese.
The archdiocese, in turn, alerted the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services and Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office.
Clements is still classified as a person of interest, and the investigation is ongoing, Guglielmi said.
Clements told the Chicago Sun-Times the accusation is “totally unfounded” and that archdiocese has not yet notified him of the allegation. He said:
“Here I am, 87 years old, and I don’t know what this is all about or anything,” Clements said. “Certainly, the cardinal has not said one word to me about this.”
A spokeswoman for the archdiocese said Thursday night that Clements had been notified of the allegation via phone by its Office for Child Abuse Investigations and Review.
Clements said the “atmosphere here today is so toxic. The overwhelming majority of priests have to wake up each morning wondering, ‘Is this the morning that someone is going to accuse me of something negative?’”
The priest said the accusation is “totally unfounded.” as investigations are still ongoing.
(Chicagosuntimes)