The Chicago Archdiocese does not publicly identify deceased priests accused of sexual abuse. Here’s why one suburban deacon is trying to change that.
The first time it happened, the priest offered Terry Neary a cookie.
Neary, then an eighth grade student, was working an after-school job in the rectory of St. Ethelreda in Chicago. He followed the Roman Catholic priest into the kitchen, where, Neary has alleged, the 75-year-old man sexually abused him that day and a few more times in 1971.
The Archdiocese of Chicago later determined the abuse was “possible," according to its own records, but it has not added the priest’s name to a list on its website that identifies nearly 80 clergy members believed to have abused children.
That’s because of a controversial church policy that doesn’t require full investigations into allegations made against deceased priests. By the time Neary first reported his abuse to the archdiocese in 2001, the priest, the Rev. William R. Leyhane, had been dead for two decades.
“I knew (the abuse) was wrong, and I was just successful in trying not to think about it, so I put it way in the back of my head,” Neary, now a 62-year-old deacon at St. Isidore Parish in Bloomingdale, said during a recent interview.
The archdiocese has defended its longstanding policy, noting that deceased priests no longer pose a risk to children and can’t respond to accusations that might be false. But advocacy groups, abuse survivors and former Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan, who began a probe into clergy abuse last year, have criticized the practice, saying it re-traumatizes victims and fails to hold church leadership accountable.
"Failing to investigate deceased or resigned clergy ignores both the impact such a decision has on survivors seeking closure and that an investigation might lead other survivors to come forward,” Madigan wrote in a December status report before leaving office. “Failing to investigate also makes it impossible to determine whether other clergy, including those who are alive and involved with the church, helped conceal the abuse.”
Madigan’s successor, Kwame Raoul, is continuing the investigation but has provided few updates about its progress. Raoul and Chicago Cardinal Blase Cupich met behind closed doors in August to discuss the probe, representatives for both parties confirmed. The move drew criticism from two local advoc...
Winter Appeal 2023
To our friends,
2023 has been a long year with many ups and downs for us all. As we close out the year, we at SNAP hope that you are feeling like you are on your way to being healthy, fulfilled, and happy. This past year has brought both successes and challenges. Thanks to the support you have shown in the past, we’ve been able to celebrate the good days and weather the stormy ones. Now, we are once again asking for your support as we work to support survivors new and old as we ‘Move SNAP Forward.’
At SNAP we are proud to have hosted a very well-attended conference in August 2023. This event allowed us to gather friends, survivors, advocates, and allies for a weekend of camaraderie and connection. We were so happy to be able to welcome many first-time attendees to gather in person and are already looking forward to the next conference.
To strengthen our movement for justice, healing, and prevention, SNAP will be expanding our peer support and providing more volunteer opportunities in the coming year. Through this great work, we are ensuring survivor voices are represented as we work for significant change that will benefit children and survivors.
Right now, survivors worldwide are getting the help they need from SNAP, and more and more reach out to us daily, but we need your help to keep those programs going and get our volunteers the training they need to thrive.
Your tax-deductible gift to SNAP can help offset the cost of our important mission. If you are not in a position to contribute, you can still support us by sharing this letter with those who can. As we continue to fight for survivors across the globe, your donation or sharing the great work SNAP does will help us continue our work to protect the vulnerable, heal the wounded, and prevent abuse.
Your donation ensures SNAP will be there for those who need us more than ever!
Warmly,
Michael W. McDonnell, C.P.S.
Interim Executive Director