ILLINOIS
Illinois Times
By Bruce Rushton
Sexual no-nos among clergy are nothing new in the Diocese of Springfield.
The diocese in 2005 hired a Methodist to figure things out when a priest was severely beaten after soliciting sex in Douglas Park. Accusations of homosexual conduct rose to the very top of the diocese, with one man claiming to have bedded a half-dozen men of the cloth, including then bishop George Lucas.
J. William Roberts, the former U.S. attorney and Sangamon County state’s attorney retained by the diocese to investigate, concluded that the bishop was pure, but other clergy members were not. Daniel Ryan, the bishop prior to Lucas, wasn’t celibate, according to Roberts, and Ryan had fostered a culture of secrecy that resulted in mistrust among parishioners and failure to hold accountable priests who engaged in inappropriate conduct. Eight priests were either removed or placed on leave after the investigation began, Roberts told reporters in 2006.
Clergy misconduct ranged from viewing inappropriate websites to sinful sexual activity between consenting adults to sexual abuse of minors that cost the diocese more than $6 million in legal settlements. The Roberts investigation also revealed misappropriation of church funds.
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