ILLINOIS
Chicago Tribune
By John Keilman, Tribune reporter
The former pastor of Schaumburg’s St. Matthew Catholic Church has been removed from a list of priests facing substantiated accusations of sexual misconduct, but a lawsuit in which a man claims the priest abused him as a child is still moving ahead.
The Archdiocese of Chicago confirmed in February that Joseph Wilk had been added to the public list of priests facing allegations that a review board deems credible. The confirmation came about nine months after a young man named Donnie Ophus filed a lawsuit accusing Wilk of sexual abuse.
Ophus, now 29, claimed in the lawsuit that Wilk abused him from the ages of 10 to 18. He told the Tribune in an interview this year that Wilk had paid him to keep quiet, but he did tell his father, who reported the allegation to church officials.
Susan Burritt, an archdiocese spokeswoman, said a supplementary review convinced the board that investigates abuse allegations that there was “insufficient reason to suspect that … Wilk engaged in sexual misconduct with a minor.”
The archdiocese removed Wilk from the list July 24, the first time such an action has been taken, Burritt said.
She offered no details about why the board took another look at the case or why it reached its decision.
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