The beloved former pastor of a Catholic church in Arlington Heights has been cleared of sexual abuse allegations, the Archdiocese of Chicago announced Saturday.

In a letter addressed to St. Gail Parish in Chicago, Cardinal Blase Cupich writes that the archdiocese’s Independent Review Board found “no reasonable cause” to believe the Rev. Matthew Foley sexually abused his accuser.

“In addition, the IRB recommended that Father Foley be reinstated to ministry and that the file be closed,” Cupich wrote in the letter. “I have accepted their recommendation effective immediately.”

Foley served as pastor of St. James Parish in Arlington Heights from July 2013 to June 2021. A year later, St. James School dedicated its STEM center in Foley’s name, at the request of the anonymous donor who funded its renovation.

He stepped away from the ministry in January after the archdiocese opened an investigation into an allegation of sexual abuse involving…