Lawyers to archdiocese: add Fr. George Clements to list of priests accused of sex abuse

The Chicago archdiocese this year paid $800,000 to settle decades-old claims against the longtime Bronzeville pastor and activist, as well as four other priests.

The Archdiocese of Chicago last month doubled the length of a list of priests credibly accused of sex abuse, but lawyers for a man who received a six-figure payout from the church last year say the list is missing the name of Fr. George Clements.

Clements, a civil rights activist who led the congregation of Holy Angels Church in Bronzeville for more than two decades, stepped down from the ministry at the request of Archbishop Blase Cupich in 2019, after he was accused of sexual abuse dating back to the 1970s. Clements, who denied the allegations, died a few months later at age 87.

The archdiocese in February paid out an $800,000 settlement to a man who accused Clements and four…