New Cincinnati archbishop faced past child abuse claim that authorities deemed 'unfounded'
New Archbishop of Cincinnati Bishop Robert G. Casey speaks at a press conference, Wednesday at Cathedral Basilica of St. Peter in Chains in downtown Cincinnati. Frank Bowen IV/The Enquirer
February 12, 2025
By Dan Horn
A few hours after his introduction as Cincinnati's new archbishop, Robert G. Casey answered a question about his past that he said he knew was coming.
He confirmed that in 2008 he faced an allegation of misconduct with a child, which authorities later determined to be "unfounded." The accusation, made while he was a parish priest in Chicago, was investigated by both local authorities and church officials.
In response to a question from The Enquirer, Casey said in a statement that the claim was a false accusation, but he said he recognized that concerns about it may follow him to his new post in Cincinnati, where he will lead more than 400,000 Catholics.
"As a consequence of this false allegation, I realize that I will have an asterisk next to my name for the rest of my life," Casey said. "There will be those that judge me because of this. When I said yes to this appointment as Archbishop of Cincinnati, I had to be at peace with knowing that my call to serve the church is greater than the asterisk."
The accusation against Casey became public for the first time in 2018, when the priest became an auxiliary bishop in Chicago. Church officials at the time said they released information about it before his ordination as bishop "for the sake of transparency," according to The Chicago Sun-Times.
The allegation was described as a claim of sexual misconduct with a child, but no other details were released. Church officials said they suspended Casey from ministry for four weeks while authorities from the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services investigated the complaint and concluded it was "unfounded."
"This means that credible evidence does not exist to support the allegation made," the Chicago archdiocese said in a 2018 statement.
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