Showing the Way Forward: Chicago’s Cardinal Cupich Expeditiously Handling Bogus Abuse Claims Against Priests

(l to r) Chicago's Rev. William Killeen, Cardinal Blase J. Cupich, and Rev. Martin Marren

You would not be alone in mistaking Cardinal Blase J. Cupich, Archbishop of Chicago, for a left-wing activist rather than a Catholic prelate. While we may not be huge fans of him, Cupich deserves big credit for his rapid handling of cases involving falsely accused priests. Take these recent examples:

• On November 9, 2024, Cupich announced that he would be removing Rev. Martin Marren from ministry based on a vague allegation of long-past abuse of a minor. Yet only one week later, on November 16, after both secular and Church investigations determined the charges to be completely bogus, Cupich immediately announced that he was returning Marren back to work.
• On October 23, 2023, Cupich announced that there was a 40-year-old accusation against an already retired priest, Rev. William Killeen. Within only months, however, Cupich declared that Killeen would be fully reinstated. (Killeen retired in 2019.)

For many years we have written of cases of falsely accused priests that have dragged on for many years, if you can believe it. For example, just last year we wrote about the outrageous case of Rev. William C. Graham, of the Diocese of Duluth in Minnesota, who waited some eight years to be restored to ministry, including the six years after a civil jury determined that his case was entirely phony.

Then a couple months ago, we wrote of Rev. Thomas Kocik, a priest of the Diocese of Fall River in Massachusetts, who was ripped from ministry over a quarter-century-old accusation involving, well … we're still not sure what the allegation is.

Thus, compared to how most bishops handle cases of falsely accused priests, Cupich's actions are exemplary. Justice and truth demand that obviously wrongly accused priests be immediately sent back to their calling – not years later – and Cupich is showing strong leadership and a care for his fellow priests by taking swift action where it is warranted.

We hope other bishops find some courage and take note.

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We would like to draw your attention to a couple of recent articles we have found interesting and informative:
- "Is Theology Still Queen?" by Msgr. Thomas G. Guarino (First Things, Dec. 24, 2024)
- "Civil Suits by Catholic Priests: A Status Report" by Michael J. Mazza (Catholic World Report, April 4, 2024)