An advocacy group for people abused by priests spent the weekend calling for Cardinal Francis George to resign. The move comes after new details have emerged in the sexual abuse case against Daniel McCormack, a Catholic priest.
In October, the Archdiocese of Chicago’s sexual abuse review board recommended to Cardinal George that McCormack be removed from ministry at St. Agatha Parish on Chicago’s West Side. McCormack was taken in for questioning by police and state’s attorneys in August of last year due to allegations of abusing a young boy.
The Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests, or SNAP, says the church ignored for months the review board’s advice. McCormack was removed from ministry only last month after he was officially charged with sexual assault against a minor; he’s since been charged in two other cases.
An archdiocese spokesperson says Cardinal George acknowledges the church-appointed review board gave the advice, but says the recommendation was informal.
The Illinois Department of Children and Family Services confirmed the review board’s recommendation after performing its own investigation. During that investigation, DCFS also learned McCormack had been sent to a facility for a psychological assessment last year.