James M Ray, who was defrocked by the Catholic Church over allegations of child abuse, claims that he was allowed to be based near a school in Chicago by the new Pope
A defrocked priest accused of sexually abusing children has now claimed Pope Leo was behind his move to a monastery near a school.
Robert Prevost was appointed as the new Pope by cardinals in the Vatican conclave earlier this month. He has already become embroiled in a child abuse scandal relating to allegations against another clergyman in Chicago when Pope Leo was head of the Midwest Province of the Catholic church’s Augustinian order. James M Ray, who is no longer allowed to carry out his duties as a priest having been accused of sexually abusing at least 13 children, says the new Pope agreed for him to move to a Hyde Park monastery by a Catholic primary school, despite knowing about the claims made against him.
“He’s the one who gave me permission to stay there,” Ray told the Chicago Sun-Times. Ray was named on an Archdiocesan list of accused sexual offenders from 1990 where he was subject to restrictions to carry out his work.
He was still able though to be at three parishes and while in 2000 the Archdiocese of Chicago tried to find him a place where he would not pose a threat to the public, they allowed him to stay for two years at St John Stone Friary by St Thomas the Apostle Elementary School.
On top of this, the school was reportedly never informed about the allegations made against the priest while archdiocesan officials wrongly stated there were “no schools in the immediate area”.
Ray claims it was Pope Leo who gave the final approval and signed off his move there. And when asked how he knows, he replied: “That’s what the paperwork said and I think Jim said.” Jim refers to Rev James Thompson, a now-deceased Augustinian who lived at the monastery and was Ray’s monitor while he lived there.
However, Michael Airdo, a long time lawyer for the Augustinians in Chicago, said Cardinal Francis George, who died in 2015, was behind Ray’s move. “The placement of a priest of the Archdiocese of Chicago at St. John Stone Friary from 2000 to 2002 was an accommodation to the late Cardinal Francis George… as head of the Archdiocese of Chicago,” according to a statement from Fr Airdo, reported by the Chicago Sun-Times.
Cardinal George, as Chicago’s archbishop, had overall responsibility for church leaders in the area even though religious orders like the Augustinians had their own structure.
After two years at the monastery Ray was removed from public ministry and then in 2012 he was defrocked by the Catholic Church. An Illinois attorney general report in 2023 said he allegedly molested at least 13 children, though he has not been convicted of any crime and is not on any government sex offender registry.
“I felt abandoned by the church, but never felt abandoned by God,” he said. “My faith is still strong. I live out my life each day the best I can. When this comes up, there’s a pain in my chest.”
He added he was “shocked” that there were 13 accusations against him, stating: “I can’t change the past. I don’t necessarily want to defend myself either. But on a scale of 1 to 10, I was wrong, but it was a 1 or maybe a half even. It wasn’t a child. Was a young adult, over 20. I was wrong, and I got to live with that.”
The Vatican has responded to the accusation telling The Mirror: “As for the placement of Father Ray at the Stone priory, that took place approximately 25 years ago, before the enactment of the Dallas Charter.
“In accordance with published archdiocesan policies at the time, Ray was removed from parish ministry and placed at a non-ministry setting where the local superior had training in supervising offending priests. There are no reports of misconduct from Ray’s time at the Augustinian priory. Upon enactment of the Charter in 2002, Ray was moved to another location.
“The archdiocese made the placement decision, which involved renting a room in the Augustinian priory. The nearby school (not part of the priory site) is in fact a school under the supervision of the archdiocese. While decisions regarding proximity to schools solely and ultimately fell under the purview of the archdiocese, the Augustinian community fulfilled its role in good faith and in close cooperation, prioritizing safety and compliance at every step.”