Chicago, Ill., Sep 26, 2005 / 22:00 pm
11 priests of the Archdiocese of Chicago have been officially removed from public ministry and have reached the conclusion of an investigation which determined that the men engaged in sexual misconduct with minors more 20 years ago.
The priests are part of an original group of 14 who were suspected of sexual impropriety and have undergone an investigation conducted by the Archdiocese and the Holy See.
Since the original findings two years ago, one of the priests has died, and two are still pending trial. Cardinal Francis George, according to the Archdiocese, has determined that sufficient evidence of the misconduct exists in the rest of the cases and has officially barred them from publicly practicing their priestly faculties.
Archdiocesan spokesman Jimmy Lago said that in making his determinations, Cardinal George "reviewed all of the material collected in the cases, listened to the opinions of the advocates for the priests and sought advice from his own canonical advisors as well as from assessors who are canon lawyers independent of the Archdiocese."