February 11, 2005

Kicanas reported rogue priest in '93

TUCSON (AZ)
Tucson Citizen

SHERYL KORNMAN
Tucson Citizen

Tucson Bishop Gerald Kicanas' name has come up as a Chicago priest stepped down this week from a campus ministry after a sexual relationship the priest had with an 18-year-old man 15 years ago surfaced in the news.

Kicanas was auxiliary bishop of the Chicago Diocese in 2001 when the priest was appointed chaplain of a University of Chicago Catholic student center.

Kicanas had advised the diocese of the priest's 1990 misconduct when he learned of it in 1993 from the seminary student involved.

The Chicago priest, the Rev. Michael Yakaitis, 52, resigned the student center post Tuesday, saying he should not have accepted the job, "given my past history," according to the Chicago Tribune.

Kicanas said in an interview with the Tucson Citizen yesterday that "there is no question the (Chicago) diocese was on notice when concerns were brought forward about the priest."

Yakaitis had been chaplain of Calvert House, the UC Catholic student center in Hyde Park, since 2001.

He admitted he had a sexual relationship 15 years ago with a male seminarian.

Posted by kshaw at February 11, 2005 06:32 PM