CHICAGO (IL)
Chicago Tribune
August 9, 2019
By Morgan Greene
A retired priest of the Archdiocese of Chicago who served at multiple parishes in the city has been asked by the archbishop of Chicago to “step aside from ministry” amid an investigation into an allegation of sexual abuse of a minor, the Archdiocese of Chicago said Thursday.
The Rev. George Clements is being investigated for an alleged incident that occurred in 1974 while he was pastor of Holy Angels Parish, the archdiocese said in a news release. Clements retired from active ministry in 2006. He served at the Bronzeville church as pastor from June 20, 1969, to June 30, 1991, according to the archdiocese.
Clements was a charismatic and controversial leader who brought hope to the church where about 500 families worshipped, the Tribune reported in 2002 amid allegations of abuse involving another pastor who served after Clements departed.
At Holy Angels, Clements established a school that grew to more than 1,000 students, and after a 1986 fire destroyed the church, Clements led a campaign to bring the church back to life.
Rev. George Clements, shown in 1981, is being investigated for an alleged incident that occurred in 1974 while he was pastor of Holy Angels Parish, the Archdiocese of Chicago said in a news release on Aug. 8, 2019.
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