CHICAGO (IL)
WGN-TV [Chicago IL]
November 10, 2022
By Andy Koval
Attorneys for a survivor of alleged sexual abuse are calling on the Archdiocese of Chicago to add Father George Clements’ name to the list of credibly accused clergy.
The victim claims he was abused by Clements while he served as a priest at Holy Angels Church in the 1970s.
Clements denied the allegations before stepping down and died in 2019. However, in April — the archdiocese reached a settlement with the accuser as well as four others for around $800,000.
Lawyers said that is not enough. They want the archdiocese to place Clements’ name on its list of credibly accused clergy.
“It takes an enormous amount of courage for any victims to follow through with a claim and present their case and to stand up to the evil of clergy sexual abuse,” attorney Mitchell Garabedian said.
There is no admission of wrongdoing on behalf of the archdiocese, according to the settlements.
Clements served in the following parishes after becoming ordained in 1957, according to an archdiocese list from 2019.
- St. Ambrose Parish (Chicago, 47th Street), associate pastor, July 6, 1957 – July 6, 1962
- St. Dorothy Parish (Chicago, 78th Street), associate pastor, July 7, 1962 – June 19, 1969
- Holy Angels Parish (Chicago, Oakwood Boulevard), pastor, June 20, 1969 – June 30, 1991
- Diocese of Nassau Bahamas, West Indies, September 1, 1991 – October 17, 1993
- St. Sabina Parish (Chicago, Throop Street), resident priest, 1993
- Archdiocese of Washington DC, October 18, 1993 – March 31, 2006
- Holy Angels Parish (Chicago, Oakwood Boulevard), pastor emeritus, March 31, 2006
WGN News reached out to the archdiocese and have not heard back at this time.