CHICAGO (IL)
CBS TV
June 15, 2019
A priest at Our Lady of Mount Carmel parish in Chicago was reinstated Saturday after he was accused of sexual abuse and asked to step aside from his duties in January.
Cardinal Blase Cupich said Father Patrick Lee cooperated with civil authorities and the Archdiocese of Chicago during the investigation.
Cupich said both state officials and the independent review board of the archdiocese determined the allegations against Lee were unfounded.
In an email to the Our Lady of Mount Carmel parish, Cupich said:
“These have been difficult days and months for you as a parish. You have shown great patience as each jurisdiction has completed its process. I thank you for doing so. Father Lee has also suffered, as you well know, but he has offered that suffering freely, convinced of the need for us as a Church to keep our word that the protection and safety of our children remains the priority.”
Cupich shared his letter with other parishes in the Archdiocese of Chicago and the media to “see that Father Lee’s good name is restored.”
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